Reviewed By Liz

ISBN 0-312-33887-2

The Hooded Hawke is Harper’s ninth Elizabeth I mystery. I have read several historical mysteries set during Elizabeth I’s reign, but I believe this is the first one I have read in which she is the main character. This book is set in 1569, when Elizabeth is 36 and has been queen for 11 years. She is going on her “annual progress,” a very elaborate road trip, during which she stays in the large houses of her wealthier subjects to honor her favorites and to keep an eye on those who are plotting against her.

And plot they do. This is a turbulent time in Elizabeth’s reign as she tries to keep her cousin Mary from rallying the Catholics in England to overthrow her and keep the Spanish from invading the country. The Queen is also being hunted by a skilled bowman, nicknamed The Hooded Hawke, who narrowly misses assassinating her on several occasions. Although she is traveling with hundreds of people, Elizabeth has just a few friends and servants that she trusts. This is a very small and loyal group and they work together with the Queen to root out the traitors on the progress and discover the identity of the mysterious archer.

I am always suspicious of historical mysteries that use real people from history. However, Harper appears to have done her research and when Elizabeth reacts to a situation, Harper has laid a foundation for her emotions and actions based on events from her life. Two important things happen to Elizabeth during this time period – she meets Sir Francis Drake, and she decides to imprison her cousin Mary. Harper gives us a plausible window into the Queen’s thoughts regarding two important people in her life.

Favorite character? Probably the Queen. Harper captures the perils and uncertainty of her situation well. Did I guess it? No. Will I read another? Yes.

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2007

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Craig Johnson has a new book out in hardcover this month.

Kindness Goes Unpunished
By Craig Johnson
A Walt Longmire Mystery

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Viking Adult (March 15, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0670031577

Available at Amazon

Craig Johnson’s Death Without Company was also released in paperback in February.

Death Without Company
By Craig Johnson
A Walt Longmire Mystery

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (February 27, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0143038389

Available at Amazon

ISBN 978-0-06-052845-4

I am a person who almost never puts down a book until I finish reading it. Yes, there are exceptions. I have put down books that had too much colloquial language and annoyed me, books that were too gory and turned me off, and I have had real life intervene and force me to abandon a good book now and then. But I feel that every book has some redeeming characteristic in it that makes it worth reading. Frankly, I was hard pressed to find anything good to say about The Accidental Florist – it is by far the worst book I have ever read.

And I am going to qualify that by saying that I think something has gone wrong behind the scenes and this book is just a manifestation of it. Like what? You ask. I am going to guess that either something is wrong with the author, the publisher, or both.

I don’t read reviews of a book until I read it and write my own review so that I can be unbiased about it. But when I told my husband how bad this book was, he suggested I check the reviews on Amazon to see how others felt. This book and the author were savaged there. Diehard fans chimed in to suggest the book be recalled, pulped, or boycotted. Apparently, the quality of this book is a radical departure for Churchill (this is the only book of hers I have read, I think). One of the reviewers suggested this book was written to terminate her contract with her publisher. Personally, I would be concerned with the health of the author.
What makes this such a bad book? First of all, there is really no mystery to speak of. Secondly, it reads like a to do list for the main character’s wedding and home remodel and has approximately that much charm, too. This book should never have seen the light of day. If you are a Jill Churchill fan, I would suggest that you skip this book and write her a nice note, because something is horribly wrong.

Favorite character? No. Did I guess it? Not a mystery. Will I read another? Maybe, Churchill obviously has a following so I may try an earlier book.

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2007

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Charlaine Harris’ 1981 Sweet and Deadly has been rereleased this month.

Sweet and Deadly
By Charlaine Harris
(Stand Alone)

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (March 6, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0425214621

Available at Amazon

Charlaine Harris’ 2006 Definitely Dead has also been rereleased this month.

Definitely Dead
By Charlaine Harris
A Southern Vampire Mystery (Sookie Stackhouse)

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Ace; Reprint edition (March 27, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0441014917

Available at Amazon

ISBN 978-1-932557-39-8

Chief Lew Ferris seems to be discovering that trouble never comes to Loon Lake in a small way. In Dead Madonna, two murder victims are discovered one after the other in two different locations. Loon Lake is a small town with a small police department and Lew has to both borrow services from the big city and deputize some of the locals with special skills, like her paramour, Paul Osborne, a former dentist and now substitute coroner. As Chief Ferris and Osborne investigate the deaths of two very different women, another major crime is reported. All the banks in town have been having problems with counterfeit checks and the bank managers are starting to see a pattern and need Chief Ferris to stem the flow of cash out of Loon Lake.

Houston has created a wonderful setting for her series in Loon Lake. She has captured a rustic, outdoorsy feel that makes the reader want to find a fishing pole and head out to a quiet spot. And into this setting she has placed some dynamic characters. Paul Osborne is a man who is getting a second chance in life and is ecstatic about it, but he can’t stop looking over his shoulder to see what might be coming to snatch his newfound happiness away. Lew Ferris is woman whose strength has been tested time and again and she is now able to handle any situation that comes her way. Her interactions with both victims and suspects are brilliantly written – she is assertive, compassionate, wise, and eminently reasonable. These are great characters.

My only issue with this book is that the plot suffers from a little too much serendipity. This is a very tightly written book, which is usually a good thing. But this book could have used a little more fluff and a few red herrings to make the solution less obvious.

Favorite character? Ray, the oversexed outdoorsman with the fish hat. Did I guess it? Yes. Will I read another? Absolutely. Houston is a new favorite.

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2007

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Beth Groundwater has a new book out in hardcover this month.

A Real Basket Case
By Beth Groundwater
A Five Star Mystery

Hardcover: 275 pages
Publisher: Five Star Press (March 21, 2007)
ISBN-10: 1594145474

Available at Amazon

ISBN 0-4252-1428-1

Faux Finished is a good example of a mystery that just doesn’t quite make it. It has an intriguing main character in Jean Hastings, a fiesty interior decorator who has launched a successful mid-life career. It has a lovely setting as Jean and her daughter redecorate the local country club with a colorful history in its original Art Deco style. And it has a murder in the first few pages for those of us who don’t like to wait too long for the body to appear.

However, this book lacks sophisticated plotting and resorts to tricks that mystery readers don’t like. Halfway through the book, Jean calls on a friend who is a former CIA employee and now does background checks. Jean requests some information from him, but Marberg doesn’t tell us what it is or who it pertains to. We aren’t allowed to know what this vital information is until after the mystery is solved – and it isn’t even hinted at before then.

So instead of giving us the important clues, Marberg fills us up with local color and history and sends her characters off on bunny trails that, we assume, will all tie in at the end but don’t really.

I believe that when authors withhold information from the reader they do it for two reasons: for effect (popular among mysteries with dynamic detectives who aren’t the main character) and because of poor plotting. And I am putting use of this technique in Faux Finished down to the latter. I think Marberg just never found a way to introduce the information into the story.

Faux Finished appears to be Marberg’s first book and I am hoping she will transport Jean Hastings to a better adventure in the next one.

Favorite character? Mary, Jean’s friend and foil. Did I guess it? No. Will I read another? Yes.

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2007

Available at Amazon

Joanne Fluke has a new book out in hardcover this month.

Key Lime Pie Murder
By Joanne Fluke
A Hannah Swensen Mystery

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Kensington (March 1, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0758210183

Available at Amazon

Rhys Bowen has a new book out in hardcover this month.

In Dublin’s Fair City
By Rhys Bowen
A Molly Murphy Mystery

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Minotaur (March 6, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0312328192

Available at Amazon

Rhys Bowen’s Oh Danny Boy was also released in paperback in March.

Oh Danny Boy
By Rhys Bowen
A Molly Murphy Mystery

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks; Reprint edition (March 6, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0312997019

Available at Amazon

ISBN 0-06-052512-6

Heather Wells lives a big city life full of interesting people. A former singer who gave up her career due to stage fright, she shares a house with her ex-boyfriend’s brother in exchange for doing the bookkeeping for his private detective agency. She lives two blocks from her workplace as an assistant dorm director for New York College, where she deals with college students and their problems of all flavors. She flirts with the young guy in the coffee house, gets razzed by the drug dealer in the park, and is generally content. Until the severed head of one of her students is found in the school cafeteria.

Heather suddenly realizes that the problems at the school are much worse than her usual issues with room assignments and her boss doesn’t seem up to dealing with them. Then her personal life starts spinning out of control, too. Her jailbird father tracks her down and her ex starts turning up on her doorstep to chat about his upcoming wedding. Heather is beginning to feel hemmed in, but knows that the most important thing she can do is keep any more of her students from being murdered.

Cabot has created a strong, determined, and funny character in Heather Wells. She is a little older and wiser than her students, but isn’t completely jaded by what life has thrown at her. She has a great supporting cast and a reasonable mystery to solve. This is a very appealing and ultimately rewarding book and I look forward to going back and reading the first one in the series.

Favorite character? Gavin, the surprising student. Did I guess it? No. Will I read another? Yes.

0060525126

Mystery Book Reviews by Liz at http://reviewedbyliz.com ©2007

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