Sunday, March 17, 2024

REVIEW: Meow If It's Murder

 Meow If It's Murder
Author: T.C. Lo Tempio


I love The Thin Man movies, so of course I'm going to read a cozy series that pays tribute to them! Loved this first book! I can't wait to read more!

The basics: Nora left her job as a crime reporter in Chicago to return home to Cruz, CA to run her mom's sandwich shop.She looks forward to a quieter life and paying tribute to her deceased mother by running the business she spent years establishing. Things are going great until she gets pulled into a murder mystery, finds a cat who seems to gravitate to detective work and Scrabble tiles, and finds herself at odds with a local cop. 

Great story! I love Nick the Cat! Nora is a great main character. She's the perfect mix of feisty, smart and determined. The side characters and setting add to the enjoyment of the story as well. Nice mix of mystery, humor and a touch of romantic tension. The cover art is cute. Cozy mysteries have the best covers!

All in all, this was a great start to a cozy series! I've already started reading Book 2! 

 


Monday, January 22, 2024

REVIEW: Murder in Mesopotamia

 Murder in Mesopotamia
Author: Agatha Christie


For the last three years, I've been on a quest to read all of Agatha Christie's writings in publication order. I'm finally up to 1936. So many more books and short stories to go! I am loving every word of it! 

I have developed a habit of reading a physical or digital copy while listening to an audio book performance. I enjoy it more that way, plus I can pinpoint any changes in the text. Most of the time it's an older print version and a newer audio book, or the US version vs the UK edition. 

I also stop frequently and research adaptations for each story, look up people and references Christie mentions, or the settings for the stories. My only rule is that to be best of my ability I need to read in publication order. No skipping around. And I can't skip any books. I am not reading The Detection Club writings or the Mary Westmacott writings at this time. Only books written solely by Agatha and under her own name. I may go back and try the Westmacott books after I have finished all of the regular Christie novels. And, I will definitely be reading The Detection Club books! 

I am really enjoying meandering my way through Christie with no time line, no agenda and no supervision -- joy!! And for those who are interested in my musings on each book, I'm happy to write down my thoughts and share them. I love comments and discussion, so feel free to message me. 

Now, on to Murder in Mesopotamia -- 

This story was first published in serial format in the Saturday Evening Post in the US in 1935. It was also serialized, but abridged, in the UK magazine Women's Pictoral in February 1936. It was first published in novel format in the UK in July 1936, with US publication later in the year.

I love it when I come across Christie mysteries that I have never read. Murder in Mesopotamia is another one! 

This is one of Agatha's books that I never owned. I have many of them in very old paperback format most dating from the 1960s - 1980s, gathered over the years. But this is one of the few missing from my collection. A collection that unfortunately was more bookshelf decor than actually read. Making up for that now! This particular book seems to be one of the few I never found.

I found an old print copy available online for this reading. I read the text from a collection of 5 books

called "Murderers Abroad" -- the book was published in 1989 by Avenel Books and it contained The Mystery of the Blue Train, Murder in Mesopotamia, They Came to Baghdad, So Many Steps to Death and Passenger to Frankfurt. I only read Murder in Mesopotamia from the collection. I checked out the audio book on  Hoopla thanks to my lovely local  library. The audio book was released in 2012 by Harper Audio. Narrated by Anna Massey, the audio is 7 hours long. 

I did not note any differences between the text copy and the audio book for this novel. 

I recognized Anne Massey's voice, but it took me about half the book to pinpoint why. Anne Massey played Mrs. Norris in the 1983 Mansfield Park mini-series! I knew I recognized that voice!! :) She did a very good job of narrating, but her attempts at voicing Poirot and the accent just fell a bit flat for me. I still enjoyed her performance, however. Her voice was perfect for Nurse Amy Leatheran, the main narrator of the story.

I will be honest and say I was a bit disappointed in this one at first. I didn't really like Amy Leatheran. I found her more than a bit judgemental, whiny, and gossip-y. And, even a bit racist. As I got further into the story, the character grew on me...or maybe it was just the mystery drew me in. Soon I was sucked into the story as usual.

I think I had a rough time getting used to the audio narration by Anna Massey because I was used to Hercule Poirot stories being narrated by Hugh Fraser. And, I will be honest and admit, I have a rough time liking some of Agatha's non-Poirot or Marple characters. I don't really enjoy Tommy & Tuppence, Superintendent Battle, Colonel Race, Parker Pyne, Mr. Quin, etc  I want Poirot and Marple. I need to get over that! The minute the story started and the nurse was the focus...I went into Where-Is-Poirot mode. At least the feeling didn't last long!! And, these books where Poirot doesn't pop in from the start, are helping me expand my enjoyment of Christie. Not every book has to focus on her two most famous characters!!

 I enjoyed A Murder in Mesopotamia. Poirot doesn't come in until partway through the story, but it was interesting to get the story from Ann Leatheran's point of view after the first few chapters. She underestimated Poirot at first and then learned over the course of the investigation just how smart he is. 

Adaptations:A Murder in Mesopotamia has been adapted 3 times that I could find. It was adapted for television as an episode of Poirot (Season 8, Episode 2). In 1994, Radio 4 presented an audio drama based on the story. And, in 2008, it was released in graphic novel format by Harper.  

Agatha Christie's Poirot: The episode changes quite a few things to make the story work for a television episode and to add in Hastings, who did not appear in the original story at all.  Poirot is the main character since it is his show, and Nurse Leatheran is just a side character. Several plot points were changed to build suspense faster and make the plot fit the format and time allowed, as is pretty normal for TV. But the basic bones of the story are intact. David Suchet is outstanding as Poirot and Hugh Fraser is the perfect Hastings, as usual.  

Radio 4 Audio Drama: The audio is a bit over 2 hours long. I'm really enjoying these radio plays of Christie's books. This episode is well done, as usual, and was first broadcast in December 1994. This presentation is much truer to the original book than the Poirot episode. John Moffat does a very good job

of voicing Poirot. The rest of the cast does a great job as well. Very enjoyable listen! 

Graphic Novel: Unfortunately, I could not find a copy of this book to read, but I was able to find some examples of the art online.  It looks very interesting! I have yet to find any of this series of graphic novels. Not sure if they went quickly out of print or what. At some point maybe I will get lucky and actually be able to read one of these! From the few photos I was able to find, the art looks very well done!

  All in all, I enjoyed this story! Another great mystery solved by Poirot and his little grey cells. Although, I did notice in this novel Poirot did not mention his grey cells...not even once! 

On to the next: Cards on the Table!


Monday, January 1, 2024

REVIEW: The Dog Across the Lake

 The Dog Across the Lake
Author: Krista Davis


The Paws and Claws series is one of my favorite cozy mystery series! I've been a firm fan of the gang from Wagtail, VA since book one! If Wagtail were a real place, I am sure I would be booking a trip to visit with my fuzzy side-kick GusGus to see the town, meet the people, and hang out with Oma, Holly & Trixie. An entire touristy town that is 100% pet friendly -- we would love it!! 

This time, Holly spots an unfamiliar dog on the other side of the lake. The next day she wakes up to a surprise -- the unknown dog is in her room! Turns out, the wayward pooch belongs to her cousin that she hasn't seen in years. She returns the dog to him...twice. But on the second trip to her cousin's campsite, he and his girlfriend are gone. Inside the tent......a dead body! 

Never a dull moment in Wagtail, eh? 

Loved this newest story! This series never fails to make me smile. I love the animals -- Trixie and Twinkletoes are awesome! All the characters are quirky and fun. The Inn sounds like a great place to stay. The stories are filled with the right mix of humor, background theme, and amateur sleuthing. And, the cover art is colorful, cute and engaging as usual!

Great cozy mystery! Can't wait for the next book in this series!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Berkley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Sunday, December 31, 2023

REVIEW: The Lace Widow

 The Lace Widow
Author: Mollie Ann Cox


Alexander Hamilton is dead, killed in a duel with Aaron Burr. His widow, Eliza, is doing her best to put her life back together. She has no choice. She has eight children to raise by herself. 

One night, her carriage is stopped on the street and she witnesses a murdered man's body being dragged out of the river. Later, her son becomes a suspect in the killing because he was seen arguing with the man. Then another man dies. Eliza sees a pattern and believes the deaths are tied to her husband's death. Eliza jumps into investigating the deaths to prove her son isn't a murderer and to clear her late husband's name. 

This was an interesting read and a good historical mystery story. I had a bit of a rough time reading, as I don't like the way women were treated in that era. 

The mystery moves along at a good pace, the historical aspects are very interesting, and the story is well-written. 

Definitely a book I would recommend to those who enjoy historical mysteries.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

REVIEW: Death by Demo

 Death by Demo
Author: Callie Carpenter


I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. New series and new-to-me author -- a combo I love! 

The basics: When Jaime's marriage crumbles she finds the only thing she takes away from the divorce is also crumbling. A victorian house. A house in terrible repair that needs a huge amount of restoration work. But Jaime has mad skills when it comes to restoring and decorating homes. And she really needs a project. But even her skills can't help when she knocks down a wall and finds.....

A dead body. 

This book is a fun read. I really like the characters, the setting, the background story! I will definitely stick with this series. I love the idea of renovating an old house like this (minus the dead body though, thank you). I lack the skills Jaime has though, so I will just enjoy reading about demo and construction/renovation projects. The book has just the right mixture of humor and amateur sleuthing. A cat. And lots of interesting characters. Definitely a cozy series I will enjoy!

The cover art is cute and colorful. Love it! 

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Monday, December 25, 2023

REVIEW: The Lost Tomb

 The Lost Tomb
Author: Douglas Preston


Douglas Preston is one of my favorite authors. He reminds me a bit of Clive Cussler -- an author who wrote exciting, thrilling books and also did The Things in real life. Having been an investigative journalist, Preston has looked into, researched and written about all sorts of weird, mysterious, and downright scary events and places. I love how he (and co author Lincoln Child) weave some of these real occurrences into their Agent Pendergast and Nora Kelly books, adding their own twists to make the story their own. 

I read Preston's 2017 non-fiction book The Lost City of the Monkey God with fascination when it came out. I could only imagine the excitement and uncertainty of searching the Honduran rain forest with LIDAR to find a legendary lost city. 

When this book - The Lost Tomb - popped onto my radar before its publication, I knew I had to read it. I read part of the digital arc I requested from the publisher -- and stopped. Not because I didn't want to finish the book, but because I was enjoying it so much I wanted to wait....to slow down....to wait until I had the audio book to listen while reading the words, and a bit more time to read/listen, look up facts on the real events online as I read, and just savor this book. I have a almost obsessive love for mystery, the unexplained, and the strange directions real events can take. And, this collection of stories hits all the buttons for me. I didn't want to just read this for pre-publication review purposes -- I wanted to completely enjoy this book! 

So I stopped reading. And waited. Christmas holiday. Several days off of work. No place I need to be. And, I loaded up my digital print copy of this book and bought the audio book. 

I was ready to enjoy Douglas Preston's stories. 

I'm glad I waited. 

The stories are from journalistic pieces he researched and published, and tales he and Lincoln Child wove into their books. Everything from an Italian serial killer case that spanned decades to Dyatlov Pass - the stories are varied and each as interesting as the next. 

For readers who love mysteries, interesting and intriguing tales and books like the Agent Pendergast and Nora Kelly series -- you really need to read this book! 

Loved it! And, Douglas Preston is firmly situated right at the tippy-top of my favorite authors list. Not only that, I think he would be an interesting person to spend time with, to have dinner with, to have real conversation with. An interesting person, who has led an interesting life. I've met a number of authors in my years as a reviewer. Most were very nice people who I enjoyed speaking to and spending time with...and a couple were incredible douchemeister asshats (not naming names). My intuition tells me that Preston would be a wonderful member of the former, and not the latter. If he ever does an event near Denver I will be there to thank him for his work, and to also see if I'm right. :) 

I'm definitely in line for his next non-fiction book. He has me hooked! 

The audio book is just over 12 hours long and narrated by Will Collyer. This is the first audio book I've listened to that was narrated by Collyer. He has a pleasant voice, reads at a good pace, and is easily understandable. Great job of narration! The audio book is very enjoyable! 

I highly recommend this book! I bought a copy, so I don't have to add a disclaimer that I received a free review copy and that all opinions are strictly my own, yadda yadda yadda....but I will just out of habit....

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**

Sunday, December 24, 2023

REVIEW: The ABC Murders

 The ABC Murders
Author: Agatha Christie


Out of the large number of Agatha Christie novels I have on my bookshelves (nearly all of them), this is one that I don't have. I recently re-organized my bookshelves and put all my Agatha books in publication order since that is how I am reading them. And I was caught by surprise that I didn't have this one. It is one of the more well-known Poirot stories. I guess I never came across an old paperback version of this one over the years, or I owned it at one time and it was lost or borrowed and not returned. Who knows? But, luckily in the digital age this was a much easier problem to correct than it was when I started collecting Christie paperbacks back in the 80s! 

Within seconds -- thanks to my lovely public library system -- I accessed a digital print copy and an audio book to do my usual read-listen combo. I chose an old hardback edition of this book that actually includes two other Christie novels: Murder Go Round: Thirteen at Dinner, The ABC Murders, and Funerals are Fatal published by Dodd, Mead & Company in 1972. The audio book is from HarperAudio, released in 2012. I like to compare older print versions to the newer audio books to see if there are any changes. I only read The ABC Murders from the physical book. I have already read and reviewed 13 at Dinner. And, Funerals are Fatal (After the Funeral) was published in 1953, so it's a bit further ahead in my publication order reading. The audio book features Hugh Fraser as narrator. He played Hastings in the long-running BBC Poirot television show. He always does an outstanding job as narrator. The audio is 6 hours long.


The ABC Murders was originally published in the UK on January 6, 1936. US publication followed on February 14, 1936, under the same title. 

 This story was excellent! As I read, I was more and more confident that I hadn't read this book before. Definitely classic Christie! I did not see the ending coming! I enjoyed every minute. 

There were very few differences between the printed book and the audio book. The biggest one was the addition of a story recap at one point -- it was in the audio book and not in the printed book. I don't feel the addition was necessary.

This story is so clever. ABC not only refers to the names of some of the murder victims, but also an old

Railway Guide that was readily available in the UK at the time. I liked how Christie wrote the story. Portions of it were written as a narrative of events from Hastings, Poirot's sidekick, and other sections are specifically identified as not being part of Hastings' memories of events. Normally, I don't like point of view changes like that, but Christie pulls it off wonderfully.

There have been several adaptations of this story over the years. In 1948, the radio drama Suspense had an episode based on the book. In 1965, Tony Randall starred in a film, The Alphabet Murders. In 1992, the show Agatha Christie's Poirot aired an episode. BBC radio did an adaptation in 2002.  A French series, Les Petits Muertres d'Agatha Christie, featured this story in 2009. And in 2018, the BBC did a miniseries starring John Malkovich and Rupert Grint. 

Suspense: I easily found this episode searching on Apple Podcasts (Yay for OTR podcasts! I love them!) It is also available on YouTube. This version stars actor Charles Laughton. The story is condensed into about 30 minutes, so there are a lot of changes/omissions. In fact, Hercule Poirot doesn't make an appearance in the episode at all. The episode is still enjoyable and some parts of Christie's story are there. I was a bit disappointed that they took Poirot out, but I think it was so that the episode could be trimmed down for time. 

The Alphabet Murders (1965): This movie stars Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot. It takes (steals and ruins, rather) small bits of Agatha's plot, but that's where the resemblance stops. The writers tried to make this a comedy, but it's cringe-worthy. First off, Tony Randall is not the correct casting for Hercule Poirot. He was a wonderful actor -- but what were they thinking? Agatha Christie did not watch this movie and wrote in 1965 that her friends and publishers told her "the agony would be too great."  And they were right. I suffered through 1 hr and 26 minutes of this drivel. They took a wonderful, complex story by Christie and turned it into.....whatever the hell I just watched. Miscasting. Terrible script. Bad all the way around. But, I am not above letting others suffer with me. So here is a link to this terrible movie. Should I say enjoy? :) It's on YouTube --  https://youtu.be/zwrT0GvdWAk?si=8jqwPGjnj15PC2xn      I am so glad that Christie never watched this steaming pile of poo. It is by far the worst screen adaptation of Christie I have ever seen.

Agatha Christie's Poirot (S4, ep 1):  This episode was first broadcast on January 5, 1992. There are some minor changes to the story to shorten and adapt it for the show, but the main plot is intact. To me, the casting for this episode was perfect! And, David Suchet was wonderful as Poirot, as usual. Hugh Fraser is excellent as Hastings, as well. Loved it!

The ABC Murders (2018): I was not sure what to expect from this 3-episode miniseries. John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot? And, I was excited to see Rupert Grint (Inspector Crome) in something other than Harry Potter movies. I went into it with a totally open mind, without reading any reviews or commentaries beforehand. This movie is available to stream on Amazon Prime. I did notice immediately that the actress playing Rose.Marbury is the same one that played Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter movies. The voice was unmistakable. There were some unnecessary sexual and violent additions to the plot, which were just completely ridiculous. The aging of Poirot and Malkovich's appearance is all wrong for the part. Poirot was fastidious about his appearance, especially his hair and mustache. And Malkovich's look is unkempt and his mustache is all wrong -- messy and bedraggled looking in his person and his dress.On top of that, his attempt at the accent is frightful. So NOT Poirot. Wrong, wrong, wrong! After I had a fit about that....I calmed, made a cup of tea, and came back to see how the plot held up. And had to see Rupert Grint, of course. :) The plot engaged me after I calmed from the initial shock. The tone is very dark, and the murders are made much more gruesome for effect.  They changed Hercule's character and added a backstory that Agatha Christie never intended. The movie was interesting, compelling and dark....I enjoyed watching it. But it was not Agatha's story. Too many changes. [Rupert Grint was great! Very well acted on his part!] 

BBC Radio Adaptation: I am really enjoying these radio versions. BBC did 70 of them! I found a list of them here: https://fourble.co.uk/podcast/bbcradio7. The adaptation of The ABC Murders condenses the story down to a 90-minute episode.It sticks pretty closely to Christie's plot, with the changes being made obviously for time. I really enjoyed it! 

On to the next! Murder in Mesopotamia! This is another Poirot story I haven't read before! And, one I didn't have in my personal library. But my local library came to the rescue once again with a digital and audio copy! Woot!