The Serpent and the Scorpion

Clare Langley-Hawthorne’s new book featuring Ursula Marlow follows the popular themes of a crumbling empire and the push toward universal (and particularly women’s) suffrage.  Already fascinating subjects, Langley-Hawthorne adds the allure of Egypt and the rising interest in socialist ideas.  This is a well rounded and well researched book that hides many compelling and thought provoking ideas within an interesting mystery.

One of my personal favorite themes in the book surrounds the tension between Marlow’s class and position in society (she is a factory owner) and her socialist leanings.  At the time, it was shocking enough for a woman to be an entrepreneur and it would be easy to think that the author added the socialist theme to plump the plot as it seems incongruous with the character, but the reality is more complex.

There were many rich socialists in the first half of the 20th century and the contradiction between many people’s theories and practices was a reality that provides for a more thorough investigation of gender and class during the Edwardian period.  It also allows the author to explore this division within the women’s suffrage movement, between those that felt that giving wealthy white women the vote would solve society’s problems and those who saw the movement within the context of struggling toward greater equality in general.

The suffragette movement appears to be a popular backdrop within the sub-genre, but I am not complaining; each author focuses on a different aspect of the movement.  Clare Langley-Hawthorne does not make suffrage central in the way that Gillian Linscott does with her Nell Bray series, instead it is used more as a way to help fully develop Ursula Marlow as a three dimensional character, which she is…well actually she might even be five or six dimensional.

Ursula Marlow has a lot going on, and I mean a lot.  She is an emancipated woman of Edwardian England who inherited her fathers factory and has chosen to run it herself.  She is also a socialist member of the Women’s Social and Political Union, with a lesbian best friend and a lover she refuses to marry, an ex she is trying to save, all while being a general adventurer.  There is a lot to Ms. Marlow and she is a fun guide to follow.

The book also touches briefly on Egypt and war profiteering, two themes I wish were explored more fully.  In fact, I could see this book easily accommodating another fifty to a hundred pages (the book is 289 pages).  The research is clearly there and I would have enjoyed longer discussions about Egypt and the partnership between commerce and war; if Anne Perry and Clare Langley-Hawthorne had an authorial baby, it would have perfect soliloquies dedicated to educating the reader on the prominent perspectives of the day.  My only other criticism is that the conclusion of the previous book (Consequences of Sin) is explicitly discussed in the Serpent and the Scorpion so it is a good thing I can never remember things like that but for those of you who have minds like steel traps: beware of the spoilers!  Other than that, I recommend finding and reading this book.

Death at Dartmoor

Death at Dartmoor, written by coauthors Robin Paige (a husband and wife team who have the best photo ever on the back flap) follows the mysterious adventures of fictional husband and wife team Charles and Kate Sheridan in the British moorlands.  The story weaves together several interesting subplots into an engaging mystery.  I have read earlier books in this series and this is my favourite so far; it manages to touch on Dostoevsky worthy subjects without losing its easy readability.

The main characters are really compelling: an aristocratic forensic criminologist with a heart and an American author of gothic novels who writes (and sometimes acts) under the pseudonym Beryl Bardwell and sees no reason why marrying a British Lord should decrease her independence.  Having said that, it is the subplots that really made this book shine for me.

Much of the story surrounds Charles’ work bringing fingerprinting techniques to Dartmoor Prison.  The reluctance to accept and understand new science (in this case fingerprinting) made me think about some of my reservations with many new scientific theories; am I acting like the people who refused to believe in fingerprinting?  The truth is, I don’t know; I would like to believe that it is more of me being a critical thinker and less ignorant fool but who knows.   These thoughts were added to by the discussion about the role of punishment, and prisons, have in our society.  This is a discussion that seems to have been forgotten in much of mainstream thought and the Rightness of prisons is taken for granted; I appreciated how Robin Paige disrupt that ease and make the reader question the benefits of imprisonment.

I also enjoyed the devotion of time to Aurthur Conan Doyle.  I thought the treatment of the famed creator of Sherlock Holmes was honest yet sympathetic and I felt by the end of the book I had learned a small bit about the author and his life.  I was able to feel confident about this knowledge because of the authors’ notes at the end of the book, which go into detail as to which components are based on non fictional events and even goes so far as to provide a list of references for further insight into the subjects.

I do have to make a dig about the fact the authors promote their previous books within the story, I call shenanigans and it felt like an advertisement was interrupting my reading.   Regardless of that minor criticism,  I can confidently recommend this book to fans of historical mysteries and I look forward to reading newer books in this series.

This Dame for Hire

Sandra Scoppettone introduces the reader to Faye Quick and 1940s New York City.  This is an interesting case because it is a historical mystery attempting to replicate the hard boiled style of Dashell Hammett or Raymond Chandler.  The book is definitely more successful at the former, no one would mistake it as actually having been written in the 40s; Scoppettone tries too hard for it to ring true.  At times the constant use of ya instead of you was annoying but in general it was a fun read.

Faye Quick is a pretty likable character (if you can get past someone who says lotta a lot) and New York during WWII is interesting.  The setting was pretty vivid (much stronger than the narration or dialog) and it is clear that the book is well researched.  These moments of historical wartime provide pockets of time where some women were permitted into new roles and many historical mysteries exploit these eras to justify characters that exist outside of the norm; Scoppettone does this exceedingly well and the characters and story are believable, even if the language is not.

Like many noir tales (and cozies for that matter), the story revolves around personal scandals and intrigue, characters are seldom all that they seem, the private dick perseveres, and there is room for a little romance.  As i said, this was a fun and quick read.  It did make me think about situations where the majority of the population is of one gender but, beyond that, it can not be said that the book is particularily thought provoking, but that is OK.  There was one plot device that I cannot stand: a psychic!  I think that is cheating and lazy but the book is not out to win any awards, just entertain so I will let it slide this time.  I am glad that there are so many different kinds of books even within my fairly restricted sub genre and I will look out for more about this dame Faye Quick.

Shadows and Lies

I have to get my distaste for this title out of the way: this book has a terrible title, it reminds me of a Gothic Romance. The book gets much better beyond the title and I found it a really interesting read. Marjorie Eccles wrote this stand alone book (I can not remember the last historical mystery that was not part of a series) that sends the reader back and forth between 1909 South Africa and 1918 England. There are multiple narrators and two parallel stories that eventually come together to solve the mystery.

The changing point of view was compelling but at times unsettling. Eccles did such a good job inhabiting the different narrators that each shift felt like reading a different book. I am not sure if this is the nature of the style or if the author lacked fluidity. I think part of the problem is that the second story does not appear until the reader is well into the book (around p. 140). One result is that the story is masterfully crafted but the reader has difficulty connecting to any of the characters. The second component seems to have little bearing on the mystery for the majority of the book and could almost be called a family saga. It is this section where Eccles feels most comfortable and the characters and setting really come alive, drawing the reader into the fictional world and by far the more compelling tale. All of this means that for a mystery reader, it takes a bit of work to get through but the trip is well worth the read.

The Boer war is not often discussed in these books, it is confusing (hard to say who was the *good guys*) and the ensuing atrocities shocking. The choice to use it as a setting is a difficult one: how to maintain sympathy for the protagonists (White, British) without denying the beliefs of the era. I do not want to say that this is impossible but it is very difficult and Eccles definitely fails here, a flip comment by a narrator about how everyone knows White people are superior to all and this reader stops caring about the fate of said character. On the other hand, had Eccles ignored the reality of British settlers of the time, the story would not ring true.

It is also difficult to say if the exclusion of non British or Dutch perspectives is a conscious choice on the part of the author to demonstrate the folly of the time or if in fact this is done without thought and demonstrates the Eurocentricity of the writing. Either way, Eccles succeeds in making the reader think about a time and place that we do not know what to do with, the statue in Toronto seems to say we should be proud of the boys we sent to kill and die, but it is not celebrated because the motivation and results were less than honourable. Colonialism has such a complex and varied legacy and I am, glad to see that people are attempting to unpack some of its baggage, even if the outcome is somewhat flawed or messy.

I am glad that I read this book but I am not sure that I will read more from the author. This book made me realize how many settings there are to be explored and how few are currently used. I enjoy reading about London and New York but there is a whole world out here to glean stories and ideas from. I think that as the genre grows and more people write historical mysteries we will find more diversity in our authors and therefor in the settings and eras. I want to read about Mexico after the Revolution or abolition era Brazil; imagine the possibilities of partitioning Inda or Czarist Russia! For now I guess I will have to settle for Amelia Peabody.

Dance on Blood

This is an amazing series and Nell Bray is one of my favorite protagonists.  Nell Bray is strong, thoughtful and passionate; brave but still highly relatable.  She is an accidental detective but the mysteries always involve her work as a suffragette in London in the early part of the last century.

The suffragette setting is a highly compelling backdrop for Gillian Linscott’s stories and she fully exploits it to add flavour and plot devices to the mystery.  The suffragettes are often only a footnote in the history of this tumultuous time and Gillian Linscott really brings into to focus the frustration and desperation many (mainly white and middle class) women felt during the era.

Because this is a series, Nell Bray can guide us through the different stages of the movement, highlighting the non-homogeneity of the membership’s methods and motivations.  Not glamorized, the suffragette movement is drawn to display the complex decisions and trade offs required to participate in Politics.  The history is well researched and every included detail adds to the story and the reader’s understanding of the time period, which is a true achievement.

Beyond the setting,  the 7th mystery in this series is interesting and complex enough to keep you guessing, or at least interested for those who are blessed/cursed with being able to always guess the murderer right away.  The added layers of Oscar Wilde, Salome and the opera world help to give insight into the dominant values of the time and place and made me want to reread all of Wilde’s work.

Reading these books makes me realize how much we take suffrage for granted, only 30% of Vancouver’s registerd voters went to the polls in our last municipal election.  It is a good thing that people cannot imagine a democracy without universal suffrage but it is sad to think that the work of so many before us might be forgotten.  A mystery that can make me think about all of this while keeping me completely entertained: I would call that a gem.

An incomplete Revenge

Maisie Dobbs is a strong intelligent heroine who would be right at home on a Mystery special on PBS.  Created by Jacqueline Winspear, this post WWI series centres around the professional career of Ms. Dobbs, a wartime nurse turned psychologist/detective; a rare gift in a historical mystery: a female protagonist that is not an accidental detective.  This, in itself, is compelling and the author’s care with historical detail and commitment to research paid off: I could almost smell the hops and hear a Roma violin song playing in the distance.

The setting is really interesting to me: a powerful yet obsolete estate and the dawning of a new day; the inroads of industrialization colliding with centuries old agriculture; community versus nationalism or commonalities versus differences; and the never ending effects of war.  I think there are so many stories to be found in times of great change and Winspear is good at mining for them.  In fact, this is one of my great attractions to these books: the ability to peer into the lives of women throughout history; there is just not enough in our history books.  Lucky for me I enjoy edutainment, especially when there is a mystery involved!  So needless to say, there is a lot going on in this book that I cared about, unfortunately,  the characters were not at the top of the list.  On paper I should love this book, and the protagonist, but I just never felt truly attached to the story.

This book made me think a lot; about war and loss but also about what makes a book truly absorbing, what is it that makes one excited to open up a book.  If I knew the answer I probably would not be writing here but I think it has something to do with the right balance between plot, setting and character, something that I am sad to say this book is lacking.  I should care about Maisie (I even love her name: Masie Dobbs, it just sounds good) but she is just too distant to relate to as a reader.  I am going to read the rest of the books in this series because the background is compelling and the story is interesting enough, but I just can’t say that I will seek them out.

Mairelon the Magician

Mairelon the Magician is a Young Adult blend of historical mystery and fantasy.  The fun book follows Kim through the streets of Victorian England as she partners up with Mairelon, a Real Magician.  The book is complex enough to keep most adults interested while maintaining its appeal for younger readers, as long as they aren’t too young; I have it on good authority that many 12 year olds find this book too confusing and difficult to follow.

Kim, 17, is a great character, surviving on the streets through masquerading as a boy and balancing on the fine line between ethics and survival.  She is smart and brave without the unbelievable lack of fear present in some protagonists.  This book is one of a two part series and I look forward to the sequel.

One of Patricia C. Wrede’s greatest successes with this book is that she manages to create a world where Wizardry and true magic are common place and yet it still manages to feel authentic to the reader.  This apparent realism woven into the fantasy is important for a reader like me who is skeptical about blending genres but the fantasy element was interesting enough for fans of magic to also be intrigued.

It was fun reading a YA book and I encourage all adult readers to explore this growing area of fiction.  I enjoyed that this mystery is about something other than murder and Wrede demonstrates that a story can still be full of suspense and adventure without depending on violence to further the plot; authors of adult mysteries could learn from this and expand their repertoires of intrigue.

A Most Dangerous Woman

The blurb on the cover of L.M. Jackson’s A Most Dangerous Woman reads: Victorian murder mysteries don’t come better, making me wonder if the author of the accolade had ever read another Victorian mystery in his life because I can attest to the fact that they do, in fact, come better. Our protagonist is yet another Sarah, this time a gorgeous woman with a sketchy past and a heart of gold; all the clichés of a different genre. This book is less of a mystery and more of a suspenseful adventure with a ridiculously fearless protagonist.

This book is interesting in theory as it is an example of a man using initials to obscure his gender, something that has historically been done by female authors. Something in the first chapter made me flip to the back of the book to see the author’s picture, knowing that it would show a man. Many men have done excellent jobs writing for female protagonist and creating complex and believable characters (Timothy Finlay and Philip Pullman are two of my favourites) but Jackson just does not pull it off.

I think some of my annoyance with the book is its attempt to place a noir gumshoe type story within this genre. At one point Jackson describes a crowd as clerks and their women folk (228) and later has a female character say to Sarah you aren’t the only one with a man’s courage (344), that kind if clichéd and sexist writing is boring and kicks me out of the story. The title should have warned me off in the first place (I do sometimes believe in judging a book by its cover-I often scan looking for fonts with serifs!).

Even worse, at the beginning of the book the narration seems to be coming from a character and yet is omnipotent: but what of Sarah Tanner herself? Now, there was something of a contradiction (3). If I hadn’t been excited about a truly working class hero I would have stopped reading by page 4. The truth is I could not bring myself to care about any of the characters and I actually stopped reading at after about 250 pages, which is unheard of for me, and only flipped to the end because I am writing this post. I had not guessed the outcome by the time I had stopped reading, which is positive I guess. I cannot in good conscience actually recommend this book but you can read it if you want to.

I will take this opportunity to share some advice I was given by a really terrific professor, who was quoting a reader’s advisory librarian: give a book 50 pages and don’t keep reading if it does not hold your interest; there is just too much to read out there to waste time on something that isn’t for you. Sometimes I struggle with this when I am reading a book that I am *supposed* to like but I am really trying to stick to the 50 page rule. Do you always finish reading a book or do is it easy to put one down and pick up something else?

Murder in Little Italy

Murder in Little Italy is the 8^th book in Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mystery series featuring Sarah Brandt, a midwife in turn of the last century New York City. I have read books from this series in the past and I really love the characters and the setting. Thompson’s books are filled with complex and interesting characters and stories that take place outside the luxury of the elite worlds so often portrayed in historical novels.

Sarah Brandt is one of my favorite protagonists; she is smart, independent and caring and has dedicated her life to working with marginalized women. In many ways she defies the norm of the glamorous women often written about, while perfectly fitting into the mold as a member of one of New York’s most prominent families. This rejection of class and gender roles seems to be an important theme in many of the books I read and the Gaslight Mysteries are no exception.

Thompson also did a terrific job bringing the reader into the dark and dirty streets of New York through well researched and interesting details. The creation of a robust setting is the real accomplishment of this book and the author’s love of history is clear and enjoyable to read. Thompson manages to weave details about daily life, especially in terms of child birth, into the story without the reader feeling lectured or bored. This book takes us into Little Italy and highlights the waves of Italian and Irish immigrants into NYC at the time and their relationship with Tammany Hall, which was notoriously corrupt.

It is a good thing that the characters and setting are so well written because the story is lacking in complexity; I guessed the major secret of the book within the first 20 pages and I knew who the murderer was a good 100 pages before s/he was revealed. This is pretty ridiculous and I admit to being a bit frustrated but I still liked the book, and I have enjoyed others in the series, so I can still strongly recommend this book to those interested in a dynamic cast of characters and a compelling location.

Queen of the Flowers

I met Phryne Fisher quite late in her career and I look forward to reading the long series that Kerry Greenwood has been writing since 1992. Queen of the Flowers is the fourteenth book in a series of fifteen, so it might be irresponsible for me to discuss it but I am sharing what I am reading and I read this, sorry.

I really enjoyed this book, which takes place in Melbourne, Australia in the late 1920s. This is a special treat for me because I love reading about a variety of settings and this was my first Australian mystery. The new (for me) setting meant it took me the first chapter or so to get into the language and rhythm of the writing, which in the end is quite lyrical and interesting (eg. Silence spread in pools like cold water, p. 40)

This book is driven by Phryne, she is a strong and fiery character who has liberated herself from practical and social constraints. Much like Jade Del Cameron, she is wealthy but generous, to the extent of opening her home to needy children and befriending her servants. I would say this is more of a character driven story than one supported by plot. The story was pretty good but it is the writing and the people that really make this book interesting and complex.

Greenwood manages to clearly communicate the heightened sexuality of Phryne without being explicit, allowing deeper character development without slipping into the romance genre. Some readers (OK, me) may be uncomfortable with Phryne’s relationship, which I think is crafted to demonstrate how unconventional the character is but instead lessons her integrity. Phryne’s man friend is married (to someone else) and she is his “concubine” accepted by his wife. Now, that seems less unconventional and more traditionally inequitable-you see this man is jealous and she is not allowed other boyfriends! This is a clumsy devise of the author to ensure that the reader does not root for Phryne’s marriage. Even with my mild annoyance at her relationship, Phryne is a character I look forward to following.