On Shelves - The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall

The Case of the Missing Servant
Vish Puri Series #1
by Tarquin Hall
Published June 2009

A most colorful clichéd cozy – The obvious comparison is of course to Alexander McCall Smith’s Mma Ramotswe series but Vish Puri, India’s Most Private Investigator, is not quite as optimistic about human nature.

It’s contemporary India, Delhi actually, where red tape is wound around paper shuffling and bound up in corruption. A private investigator has to use all the traditional tools of the trade, from disguises to aliases, and Puri has a cast of motley operatives working undercover, tailing suspects, planting bugs, and bribing all and sundry to assist him in solving his most difficult cases. India’s Most Private Investigator will conclude all his cases in a highly satisfactory manner, Vish Puri wouldn’t allow anything less, but the satisfaction is not necessarily the clients.

The book is written in Indian English and peppered through out with terms that need to be located in a 14 page glossary which appears at first to be a hindrance but will actually add some words to your vocabulary. Have some fun…embrace the cliché and allow yourself to smile while Vish Puri handles his cases with aplomb. He is after all the winner of the Super Sleuth plaque awarded in 1999 by the World Federation of Detectives.

From the Publisher -

"The Case of the Missing Servant shows Puri (“Chubby” to his friends) and his wonderfully nicknamed employees (among them, Handbrake, Flush, and Handcream) hired for two investigations. The first is into the background of a man surprisingly willing to wed a woman her father considers unmarriageable, and the second is into the disappearance six months earlier of a servant to a prominent Punjabi lawyer, a young woman known only as Mary.

The Most Private Investigator novels offer a delicious combination of ingenious stories, brilliant writing, sharp wit, and a vivid, unsentimental picture of contemporary India. And from the first to the last page run an affectionate humour and intelligent insights into both the subtleties of Indian culture and the mysteries of human behaviour."

The second in the series The Case of the Man who Died Laughing is slated to be released in June of 2010.

The Case of the Missing Servant was provided by Simon & Schuster for review.

Into the Stacks - Suspect by Michael Robotham

Suspect
by Michael Robotham

Published 2004

Patron Review - "Psychologist Joe O’Loughlin is a lucky man -- until fate taps him on the shoulder. First he’s diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The next day the body of one of his former patients is found. Forensic evidence shows that the woman actually killed herself. But the police and O’Loughlin believe that she was tortured until suicide became her only escape. O’Loughlin is the chief suspect in the woman’s death. The police don’t believe him when he breaches client confidentiality and tries to convince them that Bobby Moran is the person they’re looking for. Estranged from his family, O’Loughlin sets out to prove that Moran is the evil, deviously clever person he believes him to be.

Robotham’s novel is a masterpiece of psychological suspense. As O’Loughlin life spiraled out of control, I wanted to read the book’s last chapter and assure myself that everything would work out for him. But I was listening to the audio book, which was brilliantly read by Simon Prebble, so I couldn’t cheat. Like O’Loughlin, all of us at some point feel fate’s bony finger. When we do, we marvel that our lives could be turned upside down in the blink of an eye. We’re blissfully unaware of the moment when the cell divides incorrectly or the desire for revenge fills another person’s heart."

From the Publisher -
The hunter becomes the hunted when an expert consultant in a baffling murder case becomes the prime suspect in Michael Robotham's stunning debut thriller.

At forty-two, psychiatrist Joe O'Loughlin seems to have it all: a thriving practice, a beautiful wife, an adoring daughter. But Joe's snug, happy world is crumbling. Recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he's dreading the inevitable and all too palpable deterioration of his body and mind. Then, when the police ask for his help in solving the brutal murder of a woman they assume is a prostitute, he's horrified to recognize the victim as a nurse he once worked with, and with whom he had a bit of a past. As Joe begins to suspect that one of his patients may be responsible, the police zero in on him.

Michael Robotham possesses the rare ability to create fully believable characters, fashion terrific dialogue, and generate nonstop suspense. Suspect is a powerhouse first novel, intricately crafted and chillingly authentic.

Michael Robotham's bibliography - The Suspect (2004), Lost (2005), The Night Ferry (2007), Shatter (2008)

A Menu for Murder - Book List

Unwanted guests for the holiday dining table?

Poisoned sweets, deadly drinks, and carving knives - a book list of culinary mysteries.

Very sorry can't come. Lie follows by post. ~Charles Beresford, telegram reply to a dinner invitation

Aperitifs
A Touch of the Grape by Claudia Bishop
The Merlot Murders by Ellen Crosby
Dying on the Vine by Peter King
Dirty Martini: A Jack Daniels Mystery by J. A. Konrath
Whiskey Sour: A Jack Daniels Mystery by J. A. Konrath
Murder Uncorked by Michele Scott
Champagne for One by Rex Stout

Appetizers
The Quiche of Death by M. C. Beaton
Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs
Turn up the Heat by Susan Conant & Jessica Conant-Park
Holy Guacamole by Nancy Fairbanks
Mozzarella Most Murderous by Nancy Fairbanks
Body in the Bouillon by Katherine Hall Page

The Main Course
Chile Death by Susan Wittig Albert
Marinade for Murder by Claudia Bishop
The Case of the Tough-Talking Turkey by Claudia Bishop
Bone in the Throat by Anthony Bourdain
Steamed by Jessica Conant-Park
Fowl Prey by Mary Dahiem
Lamb to the Slaughter and Other Stories by Roald Dahl
The Grilling Season by Diane Mott Davidson
Prime Cut by Diane Mott Davidson
Turkey Flambe by Nancy Fairbanks
Dial M for Meatloaf by Ellen Hart
Death Al Dente by Peter King
Spiced to Death by Peter King
Something in the Water by Charlotte MacLeod
Cooked Goose by G. A. McKevett
Murder Makes an Entree by Amy Myers
The Butter Did It by Phyllis Richman
Murder on the Gravy Train by Phyllis Richman
Stiffs and Swine by J. B. Stanley

Sides
French Fried by Nancy Fairbanks
State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy
A Stiff Risotto by Lou Jane Temple
Bread on Arrival by Lou Jane Temple

Dessert
Grounds for Murder by Sandra Balzo
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs
Simmer Down by Susan Conant & Jessica Conant-Park
Decaffeinated Corpse by Cleo Coyle
Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson
Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson
Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Devil's Food by Kerry Greenwood
Just Desserts by G. A. McKevett
Murder a la Mode by G. A. McKevett

The Guests
Death of a Glutton by M. C. Beaton
Monsieur Pamplemousse by Michael Bond
The Bobby Gold Stories by Anthony Bourdain
The Thin Woman by Dorothy Cannell
How to Murder your Mother-in-Law by Dorothy Cannell
Hercule Piorot's Christmas by Agatha Christie
Auntie Mayhem by Mary Dahiem
Death and the Epicure by Janet Laurence
A Family Affair by Rex Stout

The Staff
Cooking Up Murder by Miranda Bliss
A Catered Murder by Isis Crawford
Slice and Dice by Ellen Hart
Beat until Stiff by Claire M. Johnson
Roux the Day by Peter King
Murder in the Smokehouse by Amy Myers
Cooking Up Trouble by Joanne Pence
Little Indiscretions by Carmen Posadas
The Cooking School Murders by Virginia Rich
Too Many Cooks by Rex Stout

With thanks for all the suggestions from LibraryThing users.

Winners of Hachette's Spine Chilling Book GiveAway

Hachette's lovely treat for Murder, Mystery & Mayhem followers was a chance for 3 people to win paperback books of the following five titles.

The Heretic's Daughter By Kathleen Kent
Sins of the Flesh By Caridad Piñeiro
When Ghosts Speak By Mary Ann Winkowski
BoneMan's Daughters By Ted Dekker

The Historian By Elizabeth Kostova

Thanks to Hachette 3 readers have won!

And the winners are......G.G., Anonymous & Anonymous. Congratulations!

The winners have been e-mailed and have three days to reply. Thanks for the entries and keep reading! Talk about books! Promote an Author! And please visit your local library......

Tune In - Crime Club Radio Show 1946-1947

Have you ever wondered what mysteries on the radio sounded like? Well, the Internet Archive offers the ability to listen to some of the 30-minute murder mystery stories from the Crime Club Radio shows that were broadcast from 1946-1947 in the Old Time Radio Collection.

Squeaky door...footsteps.....

The telephone rings..... “Hello I hope I haven’t kept you waiting. This is the librarian, Silent Witnesses; yes we have that Crime Club book for you, come right over.” The organ plays suspenseful music, the door opens and the librarian says, “Ah you’re here, good take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The book is on this shelf…”

These stories were adapted for radio by Stedman Coles or Wyllis Cooper and were based on some of the stories from the Doubleday Crime Club books.

Turn off the lights, shut your eyes, and imagine......

The Long Fall by Walter Mosley

The Long Fall

Leonid McGill Series #1

by Walter Mosley

Published March 2009

This book had been in my TBR pile since its publication date. Not because I didn't want to read it but because, like all of Mosley's books, I liked knowing it was there waiting to be read. The publication date for the second book in this new series, Known to Evil, has been announced for March, 2010 so it was time to read The Long Fall and it didn't disappoint.

How could it? A contemporary story, written in classic noir style, with a complicated plot and a strong conflicted main character who's searching for redemption in a world that forces him to choose between his newly found principles and survival. Leonid McGill appears to be up to the challenge with his boxer's instincts, well connected friends, and pocket of IOUs. My TBR pile eagerly awaits Known to Evil.

From the Publisher -

His name is etched on the door of his Manhattan office: LEONID McGILL , PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. It’s a name that takes a little explaining, but he’s used to it. “Daddy was a communist and great-great- Granddaddy was a slave master from Scotland. You know, the black man’s family tree is mostly root. Whatever you see above ground is only a hint at the real story.”

Ex-boxer, hard drinker, in a business that trades mostly in cash and favors: McGill’s an old-school P.I. working a city that’s gotten fancy all around him. Fancy or not, he has always managed to get by—keep a roof over the head of his wife and kids, and still manage a little fun on the side—mostly because he’s never been above taking a shady job for a quick buck. But like the city itself, McGill is turning over a new leaf, “decided to go from crooked to slightly bent....”

Walter Mosley's Mystery Series

Easy Rawlins Series - Devil in a Blue Dress (1990), A Red Death (1991), White Butterfly (1992), Black Betty (1994), A Little Yellow Dog (1996), Gone Fishin’ (1997), Bad Boy Brawly Brown (2002), Six Easy Pieces (2003), Little Scarlet (2004), Cinnamon Kiss (2005), Blonde Faith (2007)

Socrates Fortlow Series - Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned (1997), Walkin’ the Dog (1999), The Right Mistake (2008)

Paris Minton Series - Fearless Jones (2001), Fear Itself (2003), Fear of the Dark (2006)

Leonid McGill Series - The Long Fall (2009), Known to Evil (2010)

Into the Stacks - The Last Ember by Daniel Levin

The Last Ember
by Daniel Levin
Published August 2009

From the Publisher -
"An Italian antiquities squad discovers a woman's preserved corpse inside an ancient column. Pages torn from priceless manuscripts litter the floor of an abandoned warehouse. An illegal excavation burrows beneath Jerusalem's Dome of the Rome, ground sacred to three religions.

Jonathan Marcus a young American lawyer and a former doctoral student in classics, has become a sought-after commodity among antiquities dealers. But when he is summoned to Rome to examine a client's fragment of an ancient stone map, he stumbles across a startling secret: a hidden message carved inside the stone itself. The discovery propels him on a perilous journey from the labyrinth beneath the Colosseum to the biblical-era tunnels of Jerusalem in search of a hidden 2,000-year-old artifact sought by empires throughout the ages. As Marcus and a passionate UN preservationist, Dr. Emili Travia, dig more deeply into the past, they're stunned to discover not only an ancient intelligence operation to protect the artifact, but also a ruthless modern plot to destroy all trace of it by a mysterious radical bent on erasing every remnant of Jewish and Christian presence from the Temple Mount. With a cutting-edge plot as intricately layered as the ancient sites it explores, The Last Ember is a gripping thriller spanning the high-stakes worlds of archaeology, politics, and terrorism in its portrayal of the modern struggle to define--and redefine--history itself."

Book Review - The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill

The Merry Misogynist
by Colin Cotterill
#6 Dr. Siri Paiboun Series
Published August 2009

This eccentric mystery series takes place in Laos in the late 1970's with a 73 year-old coroner, Dr. Siri Paiboun, filling the role of the detective though certainly not by conventional means. He's fighting a Communist bureaucracy, an illiterate but lovable lab assistant and a serious lack of equipment, supplies, and technology. He is armed however with obstinancy, patience, intelligence, very strong convictions, a bit of mysticism and a cabal of friends. Oh, and an indomitable wife, Madam Daeng, who's just as eager to break all the rules for a good cause.

Like many of the best mystery series it's not all about the crime, it's about the characters, the location, and ultimately the story. And who can resist a geriatric MacGyver of the Third World?

From the Publisher -

In poverty-stricken 1978 Laos, a man with a truck from the city was “somebody,” a catch for even the prettiest village virgin. The corpse of one of these bucolic beauties turns up in Dr. Siri’s morgue and his curiosity is piqued. The victim was tied to a tree and strangled but she had not, as the doctor had expected, been raped, although her flesh had been torn. And though the victim had clear, pale skin over most of her body, her hands and feet were gnarled, callused, and blistered.

On a trip to the hinterlands, Siri discovers that the beautiful female corpse bound to a tree has already risen to the status of a rural myth. This has happened many times before. He sets out to investigate this unprecedented phenomenon—a serial killer in peaceful Buddhist Laos—only to discover when he has identified the murderer that not only pretty maidens are at risk. Seventy-three-year-old coroners can be victims, too.

Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri Paiboun Series - The Coroner’s Lunch (2004), Thirty-Three Teeth (2005) , Disco for the Departed (2006), Anarchy and Old Dogs (2007), Curse of the Pogo Stick (2008), The Merry Misogynist (2009)