The Carter of "La Providence" (1931) by Georges Simenon #ParisinJuly2026 #20BOS26

 

🚤 This would be my starting point of reading the wide-read French detective stories of Georges Simenon. Maybe I should have started from the first book, but somehow this title sounds more interesting. First, I didn't know exactly what a Carter is - is he the driver of a horse cart? Then "La Providence" should be the name of the cart, but somehow I couldn't imagine a horse cart had a name, let alone an elegant one such as "La Providence". So, curiosity drove me to read - or in this case listen to - the (audio) book. I wasn't far wrong, the Carter is indeed a man who managed a horse-drawn-cart, and the lived at the stable, caring for the horses. But the cart isn't conveying passenger, but to tow a canal boat or barge! 

🚤 Since I have read - and enjoyed - The Narrowboat Summer (by Anne Youngson) last month, I was very excited to read a murder mystery set around the canal. A woman with stylish clothes, heavy make-up and jewelry was found strangled to death in a stable near the lock keeper's cottage near Dizy. Quite an incongruous sight it made, as how and why did the woman had come to the (usually) quiet place, at which she was so out of place? That was Inspector Maigret's first thought. He began to ask questions, to the lock keeper, the bargemen; until one Colonel Sir Walter Lampson, the owner of Southern Cross yacht admitted that the dead woman was his wife, Mary Lampson. She's been missing from the yacht for several days. Maigret also investigated a barge who arrived at the Lock the night Mary Lampson dead: La Providence. 🚤 La Providence was owned by the Cannelles, and they had a Carter called Jean, who's handling the horses that tow the barge along the towpath. He's a silent man with mysterious background, almost never opened his mouth, but worked nicely with the horses, and slept with them in the stable. Considering that he was made the title of the book, I started to wonder whether he was the murderer, or the space-goat. Maigret had been focusing his investigation on the yacht, when one of Sir Walter Lampson's crew was also found strangled to death. Some clues began to "emerge" here and there, and it's up to Maigret to put all the piece of puzzles into the correct places. 🚤 After reading my fair share of the Golden Age Detective mysteries, this book felt very different in structure. GAD are usually focusing on the plot - how the murder had been done - and the stages of investigation, and thus, emphasizing on the logical mind. The Carter of "La Providence", on the other hand, seems to be more atmospheric. It seems that Sir Walter Lampson's nonchalant reaction to his wife's death, for instance, or Willy's and Sir Water's mistress' manners during interviews are more important than the finding of the clues. I wouldn't reveal anything, but the ending is also heavy with emotion. Maigret seemed to be performing his duty more as a decent human being than a police officer. Add that with the amusing technicality of canal boats operating business, made this book an unusual read, entertaining and amusing.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Paris in July 2026 hosted by Emma @ Words and Peace

20 Books of Summer 2026 hosted by Annabel @ AnnaBookBel

To Fetch A Thief (2010) by Spencer Quinn #20BOS26

 

🎪 When I stumbled upon this new-to-me mystery series, which is narrated by a dog (who can resist such a thing? not I), I knew instantly I have to read it some day. I decided to start not from the beginning, but on the third book, which has a circus element; I always love circus element in a book. It turns out to be: a great FUN! It has everything I expected it to have, and perhaps more...

🎪 Bernie Little is a Private Investigator, the owner of Little Detective Agency. And Chet, his partner, is a dog. He (Chet, not Bernie) was the best leaper of his class at K-9 police school. However, he failed the last leap due to something or other. But it didn't matter, because that was when he first met Bernie Little. And the rest was history, so the humans always say. Little Detective Agency isn't a big one, Bernie has always been in need of money. But that isn't any problem for them both. Their deep bond and partnership, makes them always happy; what do you need more? The story begins when they are on a divorce case, and the client gives Bernie tickets to a circus. So they went to the circus, Bernie, Chet, and Bernie's son, who currently lives with Bernie's ex wife. To their disappointment, the main attraction, an elephant show, was cancelled because Peanut, the elephant, and its trainer have been missing. 🎪 Popo the clown hired Bernie and Chet to investigate the case, since the police (the officer is Bernie's friend) seem to be disinterested. They (the police), along with the circus owner, believe that the trainer, who is the most humane trainer in treating animals, must have been crossed to the animal-justice-organization side. But Popo knew better, or did he? And how do you think can an elephant gone missing just like that without any witness? Well, thanks to Chet's wonderful smelling skill, he found Peanut's trace, and that leads to another, and another, that in no time, Chet and Bernie must deal with bigger dangers than they have ever expected. 🎪 On the whole, this is a combination of crime mystery (there are the theft and a murder - or is it?), and adventure. On those two aspects themselves, this is fun to read. But the biggest attraction, that makes this series a success, is how Quinn portrays Chet, the dog narrator, he is as genuine as he is plausible. It feels like you are really viewing the world, and the humans, from a dog's perspective. Chet understands English; he's capable of following what Bernie and other humans are saying. Well, at least, common English conversation; he has difficulties, though, to follow many slangs and sayings, which to him is confusing. And these are the few funniest parts of the book, which would often throw you with uncontrollable laughter. Here's an example, which takes place after Chet, unknowing to Bernie, has saved his beloved human friend:

"I've got a strong suspicion you saved my bacon last night." [Bernie to Chet] Bacon? There'd been bacon last night? Cheetos, yes, but that was it. Had I somehow missed out on bacon?

🎪 And that kind of thing happens a lot. It's even funnier when there's food mentioned, like in that instance, bacon. Because food, Bernie, and their adventure together fighting the crime, were uppermost in Chet's thoughts. Those, and many confusing human's manner. Another funny thing is Chet's memory. He could remember some of what Bernie said to him, or the thugs they have caught in the past, but he is always lost somewhere in the middle of a long thought. And he would always be like "...what was that again? It's not important, the important thing is...." Chet is soo adorable! I loved how Quinn let Chet be just a dog. He might understand what humans are saying, but other than that, Chet behaves and thinks as a normal animal. I suspect, that is one factor that make people love Chet, and this series, so much. 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

They Do It with Mirrors (1952) by Agatha Christie: A Re-read

 

🔫 This is the fifth Miss Marple mystery novel from the series that I have re-read for my Agatha Christie Perpetual Challenge. The main idea is to perpetually reading Agatha Christie's sixty eight novels. If I can read about three or four novels per year (my current "speed"), I would be rereading each title in every seventeen years - how about that, eh? Anyway, what I don't quite like from Miss Marple mysteries, is that she is usually too "fluffy" and insignificant, despite the fact that she is the main character - the amateur sleuth. This book, though, I happily announce, is an exception. 

🔫 The story begins when Miss Marple was visiting her school friend Ruth, who asked her to check on their mutual friend, Carrie Louise Serrocold, who lives in a mansion house called Stonygates, with her third husband Lewis, her widowed daughter Mildred, and her companion/housekeeper Juliette. Part of the house had been turned into an institution for juvenile delinquent boys. The institution was originally founded by Carrie Louise's second husband - deceased - and is now managed by the current husband Lewis. Ruth had been feeling something was "wrong" when she visited Carrie Louise, and Miss Marple is about to find out the truth behind it. At first things seem normal, but there has been a bit awkward incident with one of the institution boys, a seemingly "not right in the head" young man who believes he's the son of some famous men (when he's actually an illegitimate one). His name is Edgar Lawson. 🔫 Among the visiting guests are Carrie-Louise step granddaughter, her American husband, Carrie Louise' step son (from her second husband), and two nephews (or step sons? I lost counting of whos' who). Then one night, two things happened at the same time. Edgar Lawson took it into his head that Lewis Serrocold is his real father. They quarreled in heated debate in the library; Edward making ruckus by shooting a revolver (but not at Lewis Serrocold, fortunately). All the while, the others were in the living room, listening with apprehension to almost everything happening inside. Everyone, excepting Christian, Carrie Louise's step son. How they were surprised then, to find out later that Christian had been shot when the ruckus in the library was happening. Why Christian, though? Is it because he had found out that someone has been poisoning Carrie Louise? In the end, it is up to Miss Marple to find out what had really occurred. It has something to do with the theatrical system, the murderer is like a conjurer, who do it with mirrors... 🔫 Like I said before, I liked it that Miss Marple is more actively involved in this case. This time, she acted as Carrie Louise's protector because she loves her friend. Her deceiving 'fluffiness' makes her a confidant to some of the suspects, they could pour out their heart honestly to her - an outsider. The plot itself is not one of Christie's bests - I guessed the murderer right away. Whether it's because I have read Christie for so long to suspect little discrepancies, or because the "hole" is too obvious to be missed, I don't really know. While I love murder in close-knitted family house, the premise is rather quirky. Top it off with rather lose plot, this one is not among my favorites.

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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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

Grey Mask (1928) by Patricia Wentworth

🎭 While I have read a few Patricia Wentworth before, I have yet to start her Miss Silver series. And this time, I prefer to start from the beginning, where Miss Silver was first introduced in Grey Mask. She doesn't, however, appear very often in it. Indeed, it feels like Miss Silver is just a background; like an omniscient protector of the hero and heroine, who involve much more in the actions. It all begins when Charles Moray returns to England, after being abroad for eight years, as a result of being 'jilted at the altar' by his fiancée Margaret. He visits his now abandoned home, which he inherited, only to find that a group of secret criminals have been using it as rendezvous place. The leader is a man with a grey mask. But what astonishes him most, is when he sees the woman he still loves, Margaret, comes and reporting to the grey masked man. 🎭 From his eavesdropping, Charles gets that a girl called Margot is in danger, should some certificates surface. What it is all about, he doesn't understand. What he cares most is why Margaret is involved in it. Apparently, this Margot is a spoiled girl of seventeen, who has just been orphaned after her wealthy father died - drown - at sea, intestate. Moreover, there was either birth certificate nor wedding certificate to be found - or so the lawyer told Margot; that she was literally penniless. Her cousin, to whom the estate would be legally handed down, proposed to marry her. And one the frightful thought on that, she runs away. As you can imagine, she stumbled into Margaret's (and Charles') care and protection, which made them all entangled into this plot. And it was at this point that Charles Moray acquired Miss Maud Silver's service. 🎭 As you can see, Miss Silver's portion of the story is meager. However, we (as well as Charles and co.) always feel her protecting presence. She knows almost everything, even before Charles reports things to her. Sometimes about things that Charles doesn't want to disclose to 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. 🎭 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. Though Charles and Margaret's love story felt rather Victorian, I was entertained enough by Margot's character; a naïve (to naïve for her own good) young girl who always give others consternation, but surprisingly could - mostly by luck - extricate herself from some dangers she had encountered. Her line was so entertaining, and lent this book the light-heartedness, which otherwise would be rather gloomy with that Victorian-ish romance - and plot. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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

They Came to Baghdad (1951) by Agatha Christie: A Reread

🐫 While espionage and political stories don't usually fascinate me much, in term of crime/murder mysteries (my favorite is closed-circle mystery in countryside or manor houses), I found They Came to Baghdad as rather charming and highly enjoyable. It's because the mystery focused more upon a young woman's adventures, than the political side itself - which fell conveniently as mere background. This is a no-detective story, and the heroine is a Victoria Jones, a rather daydreaming-kind of girl who works as typist (not good enough in her job). She met a young man called Edward by chance, attracted to him on first sight, and when he bid her goodbye at the end of the day, because he would go to Baghdad (on duty) the following day, she decided to go to Baghdad herself! 

🐫 Though practically penniless, Victoria somehow procured her way to Baghdad by creating some lies (she's a born liar; and can say deceitful things effortlessly). Fortunately, she read on paper that an archeologist called Dr. Pauncefoot Jones is currently having a dig in Iraq, and since she, conveniently, shares the same surname, Victoria Jones becomes a niece who is traveling to Baghdad to join his archeological uncle. Before she found her Edward, though, strange things happened. A man is dying on her bed in her hotel room - stabbed!; the man was later identified as a top British secret agent, who was carrying a top secret, by which the secret services men tried to uncover and stop a sabotage. Apparently a superpowers summit is going to be held in Baghdad, but a shadowy anti-communist and anti-capitalist group is threatening to ruin the show. The dying man's last words to Victoria was: "Lucifer... Basrah... Lefarge" - or so they sounded to Victoria. Unknowingly, but not without high excitement, Victoria was pulled into the center of this highly dangerous espionage adventure. 🐫 Of course, knowing that Christie's inspiration for this book was her own trips to Baghdad with her archeologist husband Sir Max Mallowan, we were treated with many bits and pieces about its culture, atmosphere, and even the archeological site itself. And what a treat is is, besides, of course, the thrilling adventures. The identity of the villain, is not so much surprising. You'll probably guess it long before our heroine herself realizes it. In short, it's an unusual combination of espionage and lighthearted adventure, that perhaps only Christie could weave into a highly entertaining story.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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

The Body in the Dumb River (1961) by George Bellairs #1961Club

🎪 My second read for #1961Club is a far cry from my first; this one is a typical Golden Age murder mystery, introducing Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard as the detective. He was aroused from a deep sleep at 3 am, by a telephone call, informing him that a body has been found swept away by torrential flood in the Dumb River. It was identified as of late James (Jim) Teasdale of Yorkshire. Everyone said he is a decent man with no enemy; yet, he was stabbed to death, and his body was dumped in the river near Ely, Cambridgeshire, miles away from Yorkshire.

🎪 It's later found out that Teasdale had been leading a double life. He had made huge mistake of marrying a girl from a snobbish, social-climbing family, who was always pestering him to be a successful man, which he was not. He failed at several attempts (an art store, photography store, and whatnot), and one day made an impulse of taking over a hoopla game at travelling fairs, on which, astonishingly, he made quite a success. Of course, he couldn't tell his wife and in-laws that he's running a hoopla; hence he told them that he's travelling much for a company, and would only come home every weekend. During his absence on these weekends, the hoopla was managed by a woman he's hired, who eventually became his mistress.

🎪 I have suspected from the beginning that this double life of his would probably be related to his murder. But is it? Is it his family who've done it? Or is it a blackmail case? Either way, this mystery has had a good and promising beginning. I instantly liked Superintendent Littlejohn, with his no-nonsense but gentlemanly manner - just the kind of police/detective I always prefer. I liked also the slowly revealing of facts upon facts, by way of Littlejohn's painstaking interviews with either suspects or people who could provide clues. I always love a slow-building of mystery. However, after such a perfect pace with a promising dramatic scene near the end, the end itself felt underwhelming. The 'drama' during the denouement was too long for an ending scene, and the red herring felt unimportant. I was surprised too to find out that this was actually the 35th book in the series - you'd have expected a smoother one than this! I wouldn't probably continue reading the series, unless you can convince me that one of the previous books is much better than this one.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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The 1961 Club

hosted by Simon and Karen

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

The Ten Teacups (1937) by Carter Dickson

☕ Although I'm a fan of simple but ingenious murder mysteries - such as what Agatha Christie had often delivered - every now and then I could also enjoy the impossible and intricate ones. The Ten Teacups was one of those. Moreover, it's written by John Dickson Carr - whose pen name of Carter Dickson was too obvious to be hidden from public. And this was my first introduction to Sir Henry Merrivale, the brain of this murder-series, who was accompanied by Chief Inspector Humphrey Master from Scotland Yard, and the young and bright Detective-Sergeant Bob Pollard. Merrivale is an old barrister and head of military intelligent of war office in England. 

☕ The mystery begins with an anonymous letter that Masters received, bearing the message that "There will be ten teacups at number 4, Berwick Terrace, W.8, on Wednesday, July 31st, at 5 p.m. Precisely. The presence of the Metropolitan Police is respectfully requested." Masters' immediate action is to consult Sir Henry Merrivale (or HM, as people usually call him), because the letter reminded Masters of another similar letter the Scotland Yard had received two years previously, which ended on an unsolved locked-room murder mystery. The police had then found ten teacups (empty) laid on the table near the body. This time, though, Masters is more prepared; he instructed his men to watch the house (number 4, Berwick Terrace, which was an empty house on-sale), and Sergeant Pollard to get the key from the agent, and hide himself inside. Despite of these precautions, Vance Keating was dead after having been shot twice, and ten teacups were found near his body, although the police never saw any other person entering the house.

☕ The most interesting part of a locked-room mystery is always the technicality of the murder. How was it performed while there's no one possibly inside the room? But here, the police were also struck by the similarity of it with the previous ten teacups mystery. Were the two connected, or even committed by the same murderer? One thing that they could connect was that both the houses were belonged to the same person. And this man, along with his wife, are the victim's friends. They are the suspects, along with three other friends. What puzzled HM and Masters at the early stages, was why had the murderer not brought the ten teacups with him when he left the place? Were they meant to be a symbol, perhaps? Was there even a ten-teacups-secret society perhaps? What ensued from these, were a combination of theories, interviews, and some actions in the end - the theories (presented by HM) are rather the dominant part compared to the rest.

☕ All in all, this was a solid intricate and impossible locked-room murder mystery. The one which, when you passed one solution, and then the second one, you would forget the previous one. I could remember the murderer, all right. Though I have expected Dickson Carr had given the murderer's more "stage" to elaborate on their motive, rather than reading HM's long-stretch of denouement - a dry explanation that made you a bit sleepy. And my problem with these impossible locked-room mysteries is the technicality. I couldn't possibly know, for instance, whether if you pointed a particular type of gun to a particular angle, it would produce a shot at a certain point, could I? No, it is much simpler to follow the technicality of how human psychology works than these weapons and what not. Nonetheless, this had been a quite entertaining one, though the solution was not what I have expected.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

The Case of the Perjured Parrot (1939) by Erle Stanley Gardner

🦜 I have been meaning to return to Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason series, which I enjoyed very much growing up. I picked this title in particular, due to the parrot involves (I love birds!) Unlike most of murder mysteries involving animals, where the animals rarely take the stage, and only serve as attraction; in this one, the parrot became the central part of the case (thank you, Mason!) Casanova, the parrot, was owned by the murdered man, an eccentric millionaire called Fremont Sabin, who often spent solitary time in his cabin up the mountain, accompanied only by his beloved parrot. 

🦜 Perry Mason was hired by the man's son, Charles Sabin, to investigate the murder, which he (the son) was sure to be committed by his father's second wife, a gold digger, called Helen Watkins Sabin. The killer seemed to be a bird-lover, since he deliberately provided the parrot food and water, after he killed its master. So, the parrot was the only witness to the murder. However, Perry Mason found out later on that the parrot was probably not Casanova at all - this one cursed too much. Where was Casanova, then and why was he substituted with another? 🦜 Mason's second finding was that Fremont Sabin had been secretly marrying another woman. And another parrot was found at this woman's house, also called Helen! This parrot keeps repeating an incriminating sentence: 'Put down that gun, Helen [....] you've shot me!' Was it Casanova? And which Helen he's been accusing? 🦜 I forgot how entertaining these Perry Mason mysteries can be! This one is no exception. It was fast-paced, full of twists and red-herrings, and what always makes this series stand out from the rest, is the courtroom scene and Mason's performance as lawyer. For me, that's always a satisfying moment of reading - just like Poirot's denouement in Agatha Christie's. The parrot as the key of the mystery added its charm. But made me giving this book a five star is the unexpected twist at the end. You know how you think you have solved the mystery, but suddenly, out of no where, a twist comes and blows your sweet theory away? That's the wow factor for me, and many thanks to Mason for ending this one very beautifully!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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

Death of a Kingfisher (2012) by M.C. Beaton

🦜 Judged from the title, I had, at first, thought this was a cozy mystery (this was my first introduction to M.C. Beaton's, by the way). But of course, I was wrong. This isn't just a murder of a bird - though it was the first murder victim - but several chapters later, it's proved to be a proper murder mystery. Police Sergeant Hamish Macbeth, our main character; a red-haired and hazel-eyed intelligent officer, with little or no ambition of stepping up the ladder of police office career, but is contented to serve in the remote village of Braikie near Lochdubh. He's quartered in the police station with his partner, a lazy laid-back veteran who's always hungry, Dick Fraser. Macbeth reports to Chief Inspector Blaire, who hates him and doesn't hesitate to sabotage his works if need to. 🦜 The kingfisher lives in the woods, which the current local tourist director renamed The Fairy Glen. It was found one day hung from a tree branch, with a noose around its neck. This was seen as an attack to The Fairy Glen, who would sabotage this tourist attraction? Maybe old and wealthy Mrs. Colchester who'd objected to the beautiful serene glen (which she owned) being monetized. But just as Macbeth planned to interview her, she was murdered in a cruel scheme. Money, then, became the suspected motive. But it proved to be a very trying case as one by one Macbeth's suspects or next leads became murdered. I've lost counting after the third, but someone counts that there were no less than nine murders in total! 🦜 Two third of the story seemed to be promising. A complex case with a cruel murderer(s), with a hint of love interest for Macbeth, not mentioning the "office politics" in the police station. However, near the end, the mystery became wilder and out of control. And when the suspects became lesser in number, Beaton put in new ones with more incoherent schemes. It felt like the writer, having started the book quite lovely, had no idea how to end it. The ending was very inconclusive, and I still didn't know how few of the murders had been committed, nor why, nor by whom. It was a heap of confusing crimes. Needless to say, this was a disappointing book from a promising series (it is the 27th, and has currently been running on to 38!) Maybe it was a wrong choice from the beginning? Maybe I should have picked another title? Well, if this is your favorite series, please tell me which one I'd better start with. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

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Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

Call Mr. Fortune (1920) by H.C. Bailey

🧁 Mr. Fortune is a laidback country doctor called Reginald "Reggie" Fortune, who was left in charge of his father's medical practice when he was away. If the "call Mr. Fortune" in title left you the impression that Reggie is so good and dependable a doctor that he is much sought for - well, you're wrong. Actually, Reggie was much a better detective than he was as medical practitioner. Not that he's not a good doctor, but because he's rather sluggish in his work ethic, but in murder cases, his brain work much faster than the police's.

🧁 This book is the first in the Reggie Fortune series, and consists of six murder cases: The Archduke’s Tea, The Sleeping Companion, The Nice Girl, The Efficient Assassin, The Hottentot Venus, and The Business Minister. My favorite is perhaps the first one, with The Efficient Assassin coming on second. I believe the collection's most appealing element is Reggie Fortune's character and mannerism. Like I said, he's a laidback person, often breaking conventions (even when he's with the police officers), but he's also strict in his conviction about justice. No matter who commits the crime, whether it's royalty or commoners, Reggie would do his best to find the truth. His bantering with Lomas, the Chief of CID, is another attraction that makes this book a charming read.
🧁 On the murder investigation itself, I kinda like Bailey's style, combining Fortune's knowledge of human body, his sharp observation, and wonderful deduction skill. I liked the way Fortune obscured his deduction and actions from Lomas, which looked foolish at first, but then applauded afterwards when the whole thing was revealed. The cases are varied from cold blooded murder to mild cases. I originally do not love short stories, but here Bailey succeeded in maintaining the balance, which resulted a thoroughly enjoyable mystery without excessive triviality. I'd definitely read more from Bailey after this!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

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

A Murder is Announced (1950) by Agatha Christie: A Reread

📰 From the first four (based on publication dates) murder mysteries of Miss Jane Marple, I think this one is my favorite. Miss Marple is less "faded into the background" than the other three. She even arranged a rather theatrical performance to induce the murderer to show themselves, so to speak. Much like what Hercule Poirot often does. It's quite surprising, came from Marple, and I liked that.

 📰 The inhabitants of a little village called Chipping Cleghorn (what a charming name for a village!) were not a little surprised one day, finding an odd advertisement in their local gazette: ‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.’ The early chapters are about several different houses in Chipping Cleghorn - our characters to be - revealing how the advertisement had stirred them. And believe me, after three of them, I could cite the advertisement by heart! The general reaction was exciting; they took it as an invitation for a soiree with murder game as main entertainment. And so, all of the characters did appear at Little Paddock a little before 6:30 p.m., with their own "reason" to stop by.  

📰 The residents of Little Paddock, however, saw the advertisement, and were half annoyed and half amused. That is a nasty prank, who would have done that?! Little Paddock belongs to Letitia Blacklock, a sixty-ish spinster who had worked as secretary to a wealthy businessman. She lives with her companion, Dora Bunner, an old schoolfriend whom she had taken in the year before. A young war widow, Philippa Haymes, is also boarding there; as well as Letitia's cousins she hadn't seen before: Patrick and Julia Simmons. Last but not least, a foreign girl called Mitzi, a hysterical creature but a splendid cook. Annoyed as they all were, they did their best to prepare for the inevitable visits of their curious and highly excited neighbors.

📰 When the clock chimed at 6:30, a succession of events started: the lights went out; a man with a pistol opened the door and shot twice; then he collapsed after another shot. After the men from the guests fixed the fuse, the lights came, and they found the mysterious man dead, while the bullet from his shot had grazed Miss Blacklock's ear. Is it a an attempted murder to Miss Blacklock? But why did the man then killed himself? Suicide out of remorse? Inspector Craddock, who investigates the case, is as appalled as the Chief Constable, when enters Miss Jane Marple, an old gibberish spinster who's visiting her friend at Chipping Cleghorn. Of course there's no further question, it was a murder after all. And not just one, for two more are following as the investigation is progressing.

📰 I remember the excitement excitement of my first reading of this book many years ago. The premise is a clever one: announcement to a murder, then the murder is committed with an audience as eye witnesses. What a daring and cold-blooded kind of murder! My favorite part is when the two spinsters who were guests at the Little Paddock (Miss Hinchcliffe and Miss Mugatroyd) are reconstructing the event (the scene is a bit funny but also thrilling). Although, as usual, we don't get to know the final answer 'till the end, I guessed the murderer correctly! All in all, this was a perfectly-constructed murder mystery (the proportion of mystery and thriller, action and reflection, are so well balanced). I guess I have just found my favorite Miss Marple mystery!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol @ Carol's Notebook

Murder in Regent's Park (2015) by Christina Koning: The Blind Detective series

👨‍🦯I can't believe that I haven't heard about this Blind Detective series until very lately, where have I been?? Anyway, a blind detective is an awesome idea for a cozy mystery, and Christina Koning did a marvelous job at drawing the character of Frederick Rowlands, our blind amateur sleuth. He was blinded after the war (the story is set in 1922), and lives in the countryside of Kent, trying his hands at farming. Not very successfully, it seems, when an old friend, Chief Inspector Douglas, offered him a temporary job as his assistance. A murder has been committed to a girl (a dancer) in London, and the killer left a playing card near the body. It was a braille playing card, and that's why Rowlands enters into the scene. The Chief Inspector wants him to blend in with men with the same predicament (blind, that is) to locate their (presumably blind) murderer.

👨‍🦯 And so, Rowlands is back into the whirlwind of London, and particularly to St Dunstan's Institute for the Blind, where Rowlands had been one of the inmates for years. Rowlands suggested that the Institute arranges a reunion party, and he and his wife Edith help with the preparation. I loved Edith Rowlands, here's an exemplary sensible, wise, and intelligent woman, who is so supportive of her husband. Meanwhile, more murders of young girls took place, and a new similarity was found: they were all lured by an advertisement to get a job as a painter's model. And so, there's another possibility that the murderer is an artist. But which one is true? Since a blind man could not have been a painter, right? But since Rowlands and the police had zero clue, they follow up both lines. 👨‍🦯 This new line of inquiry brought Rowlands' interest to the artistic world; one of these is his old flame - which spiced up the story a little! ;) Rowlands even agreed to sit as model to a painter, who's one of his suspects. I also liked this painter character; and from the start wished that he's not the murderer... And so, we are brought from the blind institute, to house parties of influential personages, to art gallery, and of course to the slum district of London where Rowlands interviewed some of the murdered girls' acquaintances. His blindness is almost no hindrance for Rowlands as he has been used to rely more and more on his other senses. Still, it doesn't guarantee him out of danger, as he is getting nearer to the truth. 👨‍🦯 All in all, this has become my new favorite murder-mystery series! I love the premise of a blind detective, it makes him more interesting to read. And I also love Fred and Edith Rowlands, though the Chief Inspector is quite an annoying person - he's rather a bully and a snob. The mystery itself is highly entertaining, a combination of whodunnit with a bit of thrilling action near the end. The art side added another charm to the story. But the factor which I admired most from Christina Koning is how she writes about the bygone era of 1930s so smoothly, I almost forgot that she wrote it in the 2010! It's a delightful read on every level. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read for:

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

The Layton Court Mystery (1925) by Anthony Berkeley

💙 Anthony Berkeley Cox was one of the most influential authors during the Golden Age detective fictions era. He was also the initiator of the Detection Club, which was formed in 1930 by several murder mystery authors such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and their peers. As a fan of that sub genre, I was a little ashamed that I have not yet read many of Berkeley's works. I have read The Wintringham Mystery two years ago, and quite liked it, but none of his Roger Sheringham series. And so, I plan to work through the series by starting properly at the beginning, our first introduction to Roger Sheringham, the amateur detective. Interesting fact, The Layton Court Mystery was first published anonymously. 

💙 Roger Sheringham is a writer with intelligent mind. Along with his friend, Alexander Grierson, was invited to a house party at Layton Court by a wealthy businessman Victor Stanworth. At first, the atmosphere of the party was a jolly one; particularly for Mr. Grierson, or Alex, as Sheringham calls him, who has just been engaged to a girl called Barbara, also another guest at the party. However, things were quickly changed. First of all, Barbara suddenly calls off the engagement, with no clear reason. Then, the host, Mr. Stanworth was found dead in the library, shot on the head, with his hand still clutching the gun. The room was locked from the inside. The police and the coroner concluded that it was a suicide. But was it so? Roger Sheringham found some facts that didn't match with suicide idea, and with the help of Alex (the Watson to his Sherlock), Sheringham decided to investigate the murder, which, he was sure, was the true cause of his host's death.

💙 Berkeley had an idea to create an imperfect detective - contrary to the typical Golden Age detectives, which were usually good in their jobs, who could find the whodunnit when no one else could. They might made a few mistakes at first, but usually solved the case near the end. Roger Sheringham isn't that. He is confident of his deduction skill - and boasts about it a lot to Alex - but he made a lot of rush judgement, which usually leads him to a humiliating failure. I don't think this aspect appeals to me; I like it in fictions when the hero, well, acts like a hero, not fallible like we readers should be. Another thing, I felt that interactions between Sheringham and Alex were mostly redundant. I would love it if Berkeley involved the other characters more. I admit that the redundancy had something to do with the plot twist at the end (a very good one), but I have had lost interest long before the juicy part of the mystery came out. And thanks to Sheringham's many faulty deductions, and the redundancy, I have guessed the plot twist a chapter before it's supposed to be revealed. 

💙 On the whole, it is interesting as a debut series, but I would have enjoyed it more had it followed the usual course of Golden Age detective stories. I wonder if Roger Sheringham would turn better in the next cases. I might try another one, but if it's the same as this one, I might stop reading the series altogether.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge 2026

hosted by Carol's Notebook

Richardson's First Case (1933) by Basil Thomson #DeanStreetDecember25

👮🏻 Sir Basil Home Thomson had been the head of CID (Criminal Investigation Department) in Scotland Yard for eight years before writing a this crime detective series with P.C. Richardson as his hero. Thus, he knew inside out how the Yard was run at the time. This series, then, was written as meticulously as it probably has ever been, as a police investigation of a murder case. P.C. Richardson is a uniformed constable, and on his first day of duty. Richardson has been dreaming of one day entering the CID while standing on the corner of Baker Street, when bam! a car accident occurs, and an old man was dead. He was identified by his talkative nephew as Mr. Catchpool, an antique store owner and registered money-lander. But Richardson is failed when trying to locate the deceased's wife, to break the news. She was later on found also dead, but not by accident. She was strangled to death in a willful murder!

👮🏻 Now here's the interesting thing about this book. Instead of putting a chief inspector of inspector in lime light while the investigation is progressing, we are treated with the running of CID machinery and bureaucracy. When a clue was procured or witnesses found, the inspector dealing with the case would report it to his superior. Then he, in turn, forward it to yet his superior, until it reached the Commissioner, who would then submit the neatly wrapped up case to the Prosecutor. Thomson even gave us the acronyms of each rank, which I did not really care about. Anyway, this writing style is unique of Golden Age Detective stories, and this makes Basil Thomson stands out among his contemporaries.

👮🏻 The murder mystery involved nephews of both Mr. and Mrs. Catchpool, due to a clause in Mr. Catchpool's will: if his wife survived him even for a few minutes, his wealth would be inherited by her nephew. Whereas if the wife's death precedes the husband, then his nephew will inherit it. So, the police's first task is to establish time of death of Mrs. Catchpool, which is not an easy task. Complications arise from every angle, especially from unreliable witnesses with their own interests. But to all this, P.C. Richardson, who is summoned to help with the investigation by his superior, makes an excellent job.

👮🏻 What I liked most of this book, is the sense that we are included in a real police investigation, instead of reading a detective story. It was a rare experience too, to follow a budding career of the inspector-would-be - for Richardson will become an inspector, as the series title has implied - from the very bottom - uniformed officer. It would be interesting to see how he would progress, and so, this series would be one I would read in order. I should thank Dean Street Press for bringing this germ to resurface!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

Dean Street December 2025

hosted by Liz @ Adventures in reading, running and working from home

Still Life (2005) by Louise Penny

🎨 Still Life is the first book in Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, a crime mystery series penned by Louise Penny. It introduces us to Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and some of his team of Surete du Quebec provincial police force. Gamache and his colleagues were summoned to investigate the death of a local artist called Jane Neal. We were provided a little opportunity to know Jane shortly before her death. She was a teacher with gentle, affectionate manner - the kind that is usually loved by the students. Hence, her death shocked most of the inhabitants of Three Pines, a small peaceful village - so peaceful that they don't have any local police force. Jane Neal was pierced by a hunting arrow near the deer trail. The question arises, whether it's an innocent accident or a deliberate murder.

🎨 I don't usually like mystery with too many characters, but it somehow fits nicely in this one. The police force itself has several characters. Jean Guy Beauvoir is Gamache's sidekick, with opposite personality from Gamache. Then there are a few other agents, and Yvette Nichol, a rookie agent in the Surete whose first assignment is to work under Gamache's command. She tends to show off her knowledge, which leads usually to blunders instead of appreciation. Near the end of the case Nichol is finally sent back to Montreal by Gamache, after he has been patient enough to try to guide her without avail. Her appearance in the mystery offers more of hilarious moments than anything else, and as her faith isn't conclusive, I am hoping that she will return in the next cases.

🎨 The more the case progresses, the more we get acquainted with the characters and the village itself. In the end, I even feel like visiting it myself. I can picture myself staying at the B&B owned by a gay couple Olivier Brulé and Gabriel (Gabri) Dubeau. They are charming chatty-duo, the foods are scrumptious, and the B&B itself seems a jolly place to stay. My favorite character is Clara, Jane's most intimate friend, who's an artist, just like her husband Peter. Jane was actually murdered (of course it turns out to be murder) just after she invited her friends to her house - where hitherto no one had ever been farther than the kitchen and mudroom (why had she been secretive of her inside house; what had she been hiding?) Gamache soon realizes that the key to the murder is in Jane's painting titled Fair Day, which is going to be exhibited at the gallery. The painting is depicting the end of a fair day, the day her friend, Timmer Hadley, died of a longtime illness. Was Jane's murder related to that other death? Or was it triggered by an assault aimed to the gay couple, in which Jane scolded the perpetrators?
🎨 I loved it that the murder is all about art and artists. I have a little suspicions of that from the title: Still Life. Armand Gamache is your perfect chief inspector too; they way he led his subordinates is exemplary. I guessed the murderer correctly - I think it's quite clear after Gamache settled that the murder is all about the painting. There was a red herring, but I know instantly it's a false trail. All in all, it's a nice mystery with a little suspenseful action in the end. I might like to continue down the series, if not to appease my curiosity over agent Nichol's future, then to read more of the eloquent Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (I love the sound of his name too!)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The House Without a Key (1925) by Earl Derr Biggers #1925Club

🏄🏻‍♂️ The 1925 Club is here! Thanks to Simon and Karen for hosting these events for a decade now. Unfortunately, this book would be my only contribution for #1925Club. Since the last club in April, I've been looking for amusing books published in 1925, preferably from authors I have not read before. I gathered half a dozen, but only this one is available at this moment, and I was excited to read it. This is the first book of Charlie Chan series. He's probably the most exotic detective you'd ever read about; a Honolulu police detective, who is a Chinese-Hawaiian. Charlie Chan is portrayed as intelligent and honorable. His eagerness to learn English through poems shaped his way of talking, always polite and with admirable choices of words. It's one of the amusements this book provides, besides, of course, the mystery.

🏄🏻‍♂️ John Quincy Winterslip, a twenty nine Bostonian stock trader, was sent by his family to sail to Hawaii and 'retrieve' his aunt, Minerva Winterslip, from the 'semi-barbaric' Pacific Islands. The aunt had been staying for holiday too long in Hawaii, but she can't help it. Winterslips are known for their gypsy-streak, and maybe this is the problem. But not young John Quincy, he's on the puritan side of the Winterslips. It's evidently true, considering how miserable he was during his first days on board the ship. But an encounter with a pretty Hawaiian girl who's coming home to her dear father, would change everything.

🏄🏻‍♂️ It was at Dan Winterslip's house that 'the boy' - as the writer always calls him - would stay. But just before his arrival, Dan Winterslip was murdered. But that's not all. While on transit in San Francisco, staying at his other uncle, he was instructed by Dan via telegram, to retrieve an old box from his cottage, and to throw overboard from the ship. But he was attacked while doing so, and the box was stolen. What was in the box? He learned later on from his aunt Minerva, that Dan was a notorious man with a dark past. And now that past is catching up with him, and eventually, he'd have to pay a just retribution.

🏄🏻‍♂️ John Quincy, as representative of the family, was involved in the investigation - reluctantly at first (his inclination was to go home to his fiancé asap) - but, whether it's the Hawaiian air, or his hitherto hidden gypsy-streak, John Quincy's slowly enjoying his role as a sleuth. Along with Charlie Chan, whom became his best friend, John Quincy was nearer to the truth everyday. He loved actions, and welcomed, even, dangerous adventures. But I think what he loved most is the presence of two pretty girls: Barbara Winterslip (his distant cousin), and Carlota Egan (the girl he met on the ship, whose father was entangled into the case, and one of police's prime suspects). Boston and his fiancé became farther and farther away in John Quincy's heart. Would John Quincy be able to catch the murderer? And equally important is which girl he would marry, and where would he spend his future? Boston, San Francisco, Honolulu?

🏄🏻‍♂️ All in all, it was a charming and exciting mystery. It has the right composition between the investigation, the action, and love interests. Charlie Chan's character brings a refreshing change to the mystery; his oriental background and European culture made him a unique detective - a far cry from any others we used to read. The era which the story is set (1925), and the Hawaiian background (history, culture, landscape) add a unique charm to it. Both the denouement and the love-story ending are perfectly satisfying: sophisticated but light, sweet and exhilarating.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Read for:

The 1925 Club

hosted by Simon and Karen

The Theft of the Iron Dogs: A Lancashire Mystery (1946) by E.C.R. Lorac

🤎 The Theft of the Iron Dogs is book no. 28 of Robert Macdonald series, and another of Lancashire Mysteries, a series of rural mystery sets in Lunesdale, where Lorac had spent her life. This is apparently Macdonald first encounter with Giles and Kate Hoggetts, who will return in Crook o' Lune, which I have read earlier this year. WW2 had just been over, and Robert Macdonald has been investigating a coupon-racketeer case of a Gordon Ginner, when he received a letter from Mr. Hoggett from Lunesdale, Lancashire. The fine writing caught his interest, and so, Macdonald stopped by at the Hoggetts' farm, on his way of his investigation. Giles Hoggett turnout out to be an ex bookseller in London, who then moved to Lunesdale to farm. He and his wife Kate were two very interesting character in this book, and between them, they provided fine observation and deduction, crucial to Macdonald's investigation.

🤎 Giles Hoggett owned a cottage, and one day when he passed by, he noticed that the wood pile in front of the cottage had been disturbed. Suspicious, he checked inside, and found that some items were missing: his old coat, a set of iron dogs (or andirons for fireplace), a reel of salmon line, a big sack, and an old curtain. For a theft, it was strange, because none of the more precious items were taken. Macdonald first treated this case as an amusement - sort of a holiday, since he loved rural village and farming. However, he soon realized that this strange case might, somehow, have been related to his Gordon Ginner case. It was Macdonald himself who had found Ginner's corpse, tucked into a cave down the Lune River, when he (Macdonald) was swimming with Giles Hoggett. From then on, this became a serious case, where Inspector Reeves from Scotland Yard joined forces with him.

🤎 Everyone suspected a potter named Ruben Gold as the perpetrator, both the theft and murder. But Kate Hoggett offered the best analysis of them all, which Macdonald took an appreciative agreement. Who, then, was the culprit? Was it a painter who lived there? At least Macdonald found that he knew Gordon Ginner, but did it make him the murderer? Or was it an outsider, as Giles Hoggett suspected?

🤎 As a murder mystery, it's not a sophisticated one. It is the farming aspect that provides the central attraction here. The whole atmosphere is relaxed, full of camaraderie, and satiated. I think, from several I have read so far, this is the one where Macdonald laughed most - Reeves and Hoggetts's wrestling, or Reeves's cooking, are rare scenes in any murder mystery! What I loved most is when Macdonald listened attentively and appreciatively to the Hoggetts' analysis, and also one or two other farmers. He (Macdonald) was far from condescending; on the contrary, he really enjoyed those conversations. It's just another proof that Macdonald should belong to these people, instead of his peers in London. In a whole, this was a delightful mystery; from theft to murder, while on the interval, we were entertained with countryside air and view, complete with the smell of flowers, hay, and cattle.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Artists in Crime (1938) by Ngaio Marsh

🎨 Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn was on his annual leave holiday when he first met Agatha Troy. The encounter happened right after Alleyn, on board a cruise from Fiji, "exercised" his visual observation on the scenery of the wharf and the shore. Agatha Troy, a painter, was finishing her paint on the same scenery on deck, and Roderick commented upon it, which he regretted instantly. The brief introduction left a significant effect upon both persons, and would affect their next involvement in a murder case.

🎨 Agatha Troy lives in Tatler’s End House, very near the resident of Alleyn's mother, Lady Alleyn. She (Troy) housed several student-artists, who work at her studio. A model was engaged to pose every day, while the students perfecting their paintings or sculpting. One of the students got a commission to illustrate a crime novel's cover, where the victim was stabbed with a knife that's hidden under a drape. The students discussed about the feasibility of it, experimenting with real knife and drape, to suggest the pose for the nude model, Sonia Gluck. One morning, when she preparing herself for the pose, she was knifed through from under the dais/bench she's supposed to pose on. A clever murderer has put the knife in the right position. But which one of them done it? 🎨 Alleyn handled the case since he was staying at her mother's house, which was near the crime scene. He was reluctant, because it was clearly to us, readers, that Alleyn had been smitten by Miss Troy! The romance aspect added a little spark for this mystery, where the mystery itself was rather far from satisfaction. Speaking about motive vs opportunity, the motive is not clear, because apparently Sonia Gluck was a 'pain-in-the-ass' as a model; she's a spoilt girl, fidgeted too much, and seemed to be deliberately ruin everyone's work. Nobody liked her, and it gave them all, including Troy - whose 'masterpiece-painting-to-be' was ruined by Gluck, a motive. About the opportunity, though, I saw instantly who had the best opportunity of all. It's right there, clear as day, and I wondered how nobody even suggested it. Not even Alleyn, not at first, at least. I wonder, have I read too many detective novels to be able to be unsuspecting enough to enjoy one?

🎨 Anyway, all evidence pointed to one student who'd left the studio for London, where he would finish his big sculpting commission - a gig which many believed would give him a breakthrough to his career. But his whereabout was unknown to anyone, and even after some police broadcasts, he never showed up. I knew instantly that this man would be the second victim. And it was right enough. On this second murder, too, I have instantly suspected the murderer due to their ambiguous story. It's not really fun when you can guess the whodunnit of a crime novel that easily. Luckily, the artistic aspect of this novel made up for it a little; I loved reading about the student's daily routine, as well as following Alleyn's train of thoughts while tracing for clues from the student's art works and their scattered tools - left behind suddenly after the tragedy. The character of Lady Alleyn - to whom Alleyn was fond of, and in whose presence he became a son, instead of detective - added a charm to this novel, although I don't really like how Alleyn (and his journalist friend Bathgate) told her many aspects of the investigation. Though I guess, that must be normal in real life? Anyway, Lady Alleyn's concern about her son's love affair (or the lack of it) is really sweet.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2