The shortest list I have. Maybe that's a good thing.
| DEVERELL, William | 2005 | April Fool | ||
| FIELDS, Robert J | 2002 | The April Fool | ||
| HARRIS, Lee | 2001 | The April Fool Murder | ||
| HART. Carolyn G | 2002 | April Fool Dead | ||
| KEATING, H R F | 1975 | A Remarkable Case of Burglary | ||
| NOVAKOVICH, Josip | 2004 | April Fool's Day |
More often than not, crime in fiction equates to murder, so it’s a refreshing change when there’s no blood and violence. There’s death here, and not by natural causes, but that’s not the crime. Lucy Ashe has chosen to explore something more subtle, with a lacing of man’s inhumanity to man – or more accurately in this case, women to woman.
The exploration happens against a background Ashe knows well: the world of ballet. But this world is not the one she herself was part of for a number of years, but a pre- and post-war one, when dance giants Margot Fonteyn and Robert Helpmann were making their name, and the Royal Ballet was still Sadlers Wells. Ashe has researched her subject meticulously, and a vivid picture of scruffy, crowded dressing rooms, lavish costumes and a punishing and often painful practice regime springs off the page in lifelike detail.
One of the two main characters is part of that company: Briar Woods, supporting artiste and member of the corps de ballet. She encounters the other protagonist, Rosamund Caradon, on a train. Rosamund is returning the last few evacuees she has housed through the war to their London homes, and Briar is rejoining the Sadlers Wells company after a brief visit to her family home in Devon, close to Rosamund’s. Briar takes a close interest in Jasmine, Rosamund’s eight-year-old daughter – and Rosamund starts to wonder if their meeting was entirely accidental. All three, and the many supporting characters too, are created in almost as much detail as the ballet setting, and drew me in to inhabit their worlds alongside them.
What follows is a sad and complex tale of passion and rejection, obsession and coercion, and also of guilt and friendship. Attitudes were quite different all those decades ago; young women were expected to adhere to certain codes of behaviour, and their life choices were far more limited and constrained by convention than in our enlightened times. But Briar wants to follow her own path and is prepared to resort to extreme measures to achieve it. What transpires as a result carries a few surprises in its wake, and the reader is left with a sense of balance regained and lessons learned.
I was left wondering whether
crime fiction is the right designation for a story of such huge emotional
depth, and so rich with a slice of history not often explored. Regardless of
the genre label it merits, it’s a page-turner. You’ll want to follow Briar’s
story to the sometimes-bitter end.
------
Reviewer: Lynne Patrick
Lucy Ashe trained at the Royal Ballet School before moving to Oxford University to study English Literature. She is an author and her first novel, a historical fiction thriller entitled Clara & Olivia was published in 2023. She also teaches English and Drama at Harrow School. She enjoys reviewing all theatre with particular interest in dance.
Following an Arduous and unhappy tussle with the Inland Revenue, as to the amount she owes in taxes, Barrister Julia Larwood decides to take a holiday in Venice, because as her friend Selena reasons, if she takes a holiday she can’t afford to pay the Revenue, but if she doesn’t take a holiday she still can’t afford to pay the Revenue. So, armed with essential documents, such as a ticket, travellers’ cheques, an Italian phrase book, Ragwort’s guide to Venice, and her copy of the Finance act Julia joins an Art Lovers tour bound for Venice.
Her account of her adventures in Venice
are relayed to her colleagues in No 62 New Square, Lincoln’s Inn, through a
series of letters. Most of which Selena reads aloud over a bottle of Nierstein
partaken at the Corkscrew, a wine bar on the north side of High Holborn. And
Julia is not dilatory in this, as her first letter is written from the aircraft
bearing her to the sweet delights of Venice, brought down to earth by her
neighbour in the next seat who introduces himself as Major Linaker and whose
hand seems to have penchant for Julia’s knee. It is only in an attempt to avoid
his overtures that Julia espies a younger man with a celestial profile, and
Julia is lost, too faint with passion to continue.
Julia’s adventures to secure with this adonis a night of passion are slightly singed when she discovers that he is an employee of the Inland Revenue. So, when he is found dead, with Julia’s copy of the Finance Act lying but a few feet from his body, what can we deduce?
Professor Hilary Tamar on leave from Oxford studying documents in the Public Records Office feels it necessary to proffer some assistance towards securing Julia’s release from incarceration and is met with gratitude from Julia’s colleagues in Lincoln’s Inn. Indeed, the dismay of Julia’s colleagues at No 62 New Square, namely Michael Cantrip, Desmond Ragwort and Selena Jardin at Julia’s predicament goes without saying. But for the masterly intervention of Professor Hilary Tamar, who knows what the outcome might have been.
I cannot recommend this book too highly.
The writing is wonderful, and the characters are marvellous. I loved it. -----
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
Other books in the series, The Sibyl in
her Grave, The Sirens Sang of Murder and The Shortest Way to Hades.
Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell are now husband and wife and are going to stay with Holmes’ son, Damian Adler, and Damian’s fiancée and his young daughter in the French countryside. Damian is a famous Surrealist artist and his relationship with his father is often strained because he resents Holmes’ neglect and abandonment of his mother when she was pregnant, despite the fact that Holmes had been unaware of Damian’s mother’s pregnancy or of Damian’s existence until a few years ago when Holmes and Russell had to rescue Damian from a murder charge.
Damian’s late mother, Irene Adler, had first met Holmes when they were both young and she won his respect by being the only person who had succeeded in outwitting him. They met again some years later and started a love affair, however she left Holmes when she discovered she was pregnant without telling him the true reason.
After Holmes and Russell cleared Damian of the murder charge they did not hear from him for some years until he again needed help, this time it was to rescue his wife and young daughter, who were in the power of a very evil man. Damian’s wife died, but they managed to save his beautiful and precociously clever daughter, Estelle. Damian was injured and his life was saved by a young female doctor who then returned to France with him and Estelle. Russell had hoped that now Damian is betrothed to the down-to-earth Scottish doctor, he would be more accepting of his father and stepmother-in-law, but when they arrive at Damian’s house, they are greeted not by the family but by a caretaker who threatens Russell with a gun.
When the servant realises their identity, he is deeply apologetic. He invites them in, and he and his wife explain that Damian has taken his family away because he is concerned for their safety. This fear stemmed from several incidents: two strangers had arrived in the village and asked questions about the family and, not long after, Damian got up in the night and surprised an intruder who had broken into his house. Damian described this person as resembling a lascar and, even though he ran away when Damian challenged him, the fact that he was armed with a machete made Damian anxious enough about his family’s safety to decide to remove them to a safer place. The advent of these sinister strangers seems to be connected with the arrival from Paris of several boxes and a trunk that are filled with random articles that had belonged to the popular and prolific artist Horace Vernet, a distant relation of Damian. These had been dispatched by the museum where the possessions had been stored for some years after Damian had visited the museum to see where Vernet had once worked.
Holmes decides to go after his son to help ensure the family’s safety and, if necessary, move them to a more secure location. Russell has sprained her ankle and needs crutches to walk around, so she stays at the house. She investigates the contents of the trunk and discovers, amongst several paintings and other things, a magical lantern that produces exquisite images and a journal that is written in an almost indecipherable code. Russell feels instinctively that the journal entries are an integral part of the puzzle, and she focuses her brilliant, analytical brain on decoding the journal. As she succeeds in doing so, she spends the days that Holmes is absent reading the memories of an intriguing girl whose Indian name is Lakshmi.
Even when they are apart, the skills of Holmes and Russell work well together, and between them they piece together a story that changes their own lives.’
The Lantern’s Dance is the eighteenth novel featuring Sherlock Holmes and Mary
Russell. Despite the wealth of information contained in the earlier books, The
Lantern’s Dance manages to be a successful stand-alone book because of the
author’s skill in subtly weaving in the complex backstory. It is beautifully
written, with Mary Russell’s narrative told in the First Person and the story
following Holmes’ thoughts and actions is in the Third Person, which works
extremely well and enhances the reader’s engagement with both of the
protagonists. The characters are fascinating and the plot is complex and
cleverly crafted. This is a superb book in an excellent series, which I
thoroughly recommend.
-------
Reviewer: Carol
Westron
Laurie R King is a third generation Northern Californian who has
lived most of her life in the San Francisco Bay area. Her background is as
mixed as any writer’s, from degrees in theology and managing a coffee store to
raising children, vegetables, and the occasional building. King started writing
and had her first novel published in 1993. Since A Grave Talent, she has averaged a book a year, winning prizes that
range from Agatha (a nomination) to Wolfe (Nero, for A Monstrous Regiment of Women.) In 1994, The Beekeeper’s
Apprentice was published, featuring young Mary Russell who becomes an
apprentice, then partner of Sherlock Holmes in early 20th century England. There
are now 18 books in the series. King also writes the occasional stand-alone
novel.
Carol Westron is a successful author and a Creative Writing teacher. Her crime novels are set both in contemporary and Victorian times. Her first book The Terminal Velocity of Cats was published in 2013. Since then, she has since written 8 further mysteries. Carol's latest book is Death and the Dancing Snowman
| AARONS, Kathie | 2014 | Death is Like a Box of Chocolates |
| 2015 | Truffled to Death | |
| 2016 | Behind Chocolate Bars | |
| ALABASRER, Stacey | 2016 | Death By Chocolate Cake |
| BECK, Jessica | 2012 | Drop Dead Chocolate |
| BELL, Cindy | 2015 | The Sweet Smell of Murder |
| 2015 | A Deadly Delicious Delivery | |
| 2016 | A Bitter Sweet Murder | |
| 2016 | A Treacherous Tasty Trail | |
| 2016 | Luscious Pastry at a Lethal Party/Pastry and Peril | |
| 2016 | Trouble and Treats | |
| 2016 | Fudge, Films and Felonies | |
| 2017 | Custom-Made Murder | |
| 2017 | Skydiving, Souffles and Sabotage | |
| 2018 | Christmas Chocolates and Crimes | |
| 2018 | Hot Chocolate and Homicide | |
| 2018 | Chocolate Caramels and Conmen | |
| 2018 | Picnics, Pies and Lies | |
| 2019 | Devil's Food Cake and Drama | |
| 2019 | Cinnamon and a Corpse | |
| 2019 | Cherries, Berries and a Body | |
| 2019 | Christmas Cookies and Criminals | |
| 2020 | Grapes, Ganache and Guilt | |
| 2020 | Yule Logs and Murder | |
| 2021 | Mocha, Marriage and Murder | |
| 2021 | Holiday Fudge and Homicide | |
| BENNING, Patti | 2020 | Chocolate Cherry and Choices |
| 2020 | White Chocolate and Worries | |
| BERKELEY, Anthony | 1929 | The Poisoned Chocolates Case |
| BEST Morgana | 2016 | Sweet Revenge |
| 2016 | The Sugar Hit | |
| 2017 | Murder Sweetly Served | |
| 2017 | Chocolate To Die For | |
| BLAKE, Bethany | 2017 | Death by Chocolate Lab |
| BYERS, Beth | 2019 | Murder By Chocolate |
| CARL, JoAnna | 2001 | The Choccolate Cat Caper |
| 2002 | The Chocolate Bear Burglary | |
| 2003 | The Chocolate Frog Frame-Up | |
| 2004 | The Chocolate Puppy Puzzle | |
| 2005 | The Chocolate Mouse Trap | |
| 2006 | The Chocolate Bridal Bash | |
| 2007 | The Chocolate Jewel Case | |
| 2008 | The Chocolate Snowman Murders | |
| 2009 | The Chocolate Cupid Killings | |
| 2010 | The Chocolate Pirate Plot | |
| 2011 | The Chocolate Castle Clue | |
| 2012 | The Chocolate Moose Motive | |
| 2013 | The Chocolate Book Bandit | |
| 2002 | The Chocolate Clown Corpse | |
| 2003 | The Chocolate Falcon Fraud | |
| 2004 | The Chocolate Bunny Brouhaha | |
| 2019 | The Chocolate Shark Shenanigans | |
| 2021 | The Chocolate Raccoon Rigmarole | |
| CARTER, Sammi | 2006 | Chocolate Dipped Death |
| CLOVER, Leena | 2019 | Raspberry Chocolate Murder |
| COLE, Lyndsey | 2015 | Strawburied in Chocolate (2015) |
| DAVIDSON, Diane Mott | 1992 | Dying For Chocolate |
| DAVIS, Krista | 2015 | The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss |
| EMRICK, K.J. | 2017 | Death by Chocolate Cake |
| FAIRER, David | 2019 | Chocolate House Treason |
| FLUKE, Joanne | 2000 | Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder |
| 2000 | Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder | |
| FOX, Sarah | 2023 | Six Sweets Under |
| GRAVES, Sarah | 2021 | Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder |
| 2018 | Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake | |
| 2019 | Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake | |
| 2020 | Death by Chocolate Frosted Doughnut | |
| 2021 | Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle | |
| 2022 | Death by Chocolate Chip Cupcake | |
| 2023 | Death by Chocolate Marshmallow Pie | |
| HARRIS, Joanne | 1998 | Chocolate |
| HUNTER, Carolyn Q | 2017 | Killer Chocolate Pie (2017) |
| 2018 | Killer Chocolate Pecan Pie (2018) | |
| KAPPES, Tonya | 2023 | Chocolate Bunny Betrayal |
| KEAM, Abigail | 2013 | Death By Chocolate |
| KELLY, Diane | 2015 | Death, Taxes, and a Chocolate Cannoli (2015) |
| LIN, Harper | 2015 | Chocolat Chaud Murder |
| MCKEVETT, G A | 2003 | Death by Chocolate |
| MCKINLAY, Jenn | 2015 | Dark Chocolate Demise |
| MEIER. Leslie | 2012 | Chocolate Covered Murder |
| MOORE, Addison | 2021 | Chocolate Chip Cookie Conundrum |
| MOORECROFT, M'Lissa | 2020 | The Chocolate Easter Baking Challenge (2020) |
| PRESCOTT, Summer | 2015 | Chocolate Filled Murder |
| 2015 | Chocolate Fudge Murder | |
| 2016 | Hot Chocolate Murder | |
| 2016 | White Chocolate Murder | |
| 2018 | German Chocolate Killer | |
| 2018 | Chocolate Cherry Killer | |
| PRESSEY, Rose | 2019 | Death by Chocolate Cupcake (2019) |
| ROBINSON, David W | 2013 | The Chocolate Egg Murders |
| ROMERIL, Christina | 2022 | A Christmas Candy Killing |
| 2023 | A Nutcracker Nightmare | |
| St. JAMES, Dorothy | 2017 | Asking for Truffle |
| 2018 | Playing with Bonbon Fire | |
| 2019 | In Cold Chocolate | |
| 2020 | Bonbon with the Wind | |
| STOUT, Rex | 1937 | The Red Box/Case of the Red Box |
| SUZETTE, Kathleen | 2018 | Chocolate Covered Murder (as by Kate Bell) |
| 2019 | Chocolate Heart Killer | |
| 2020 | Chocolate Cake and a Murder | |
| SWANSON. Denise | 2005 | Murder Of A Chocolate Covered Cherry |
| WEISS, Kirsten | 2019 | Chocolate a la Murder |
Twenty Seven minutes is essentially a story about loss and grief. A beautiful young girl, Phoebe Dean, died after the vehicle she was travelling in crashed into the barrier on a high bridge that crossed a deep river. There were two other young people in the car, Phoebe’s brother, Grant, who was driving, and Becca who believed that she and Grant were going to make a life together.
These three individuals, along with two of their contemporaries, brother and sister June and Wyatt are the main characters in a book that embraces numerous others including relatives, school friends, the odd official, a barman and shopworkers. It is set in a small Canadian town, West Wilmer where everybody knows everybody else and they all have long memories.
The plot vacillates continually between the time of the accident, and the present day. Phoebe’s mother had been too distraught to hold a wake for her daughter at the time of the accident. Now, ten years later, much to Grant’s horror she has decided to hold a memorial gathering in her home. Once again, questions arise about what caused the crash, and why Grant waited around half an hour to summon the help that could have saved his sister’s life. The three youngsters in the car had been at a party. Had they drunk too much? Had Grant waited until his breathalyzer test would be ok? Was Becca lying to protect Grant? Could she really not remember what happened on that dark and rainy night? Why didn’t Grant want the bridge to be demolished?
Wyatt, a disturbed young drug dealer had disappeared on the night of the accident. Much to his sister June’s amazement he reappears in time for Phoebe’s memorial. He says he knows exactly what happened on the bridge ten years ago and intends tell all at the memorial event.
This is an
impressive first book. Ashley Tate excels at building her characters and
describing the complicated interrelationships that exist within and between
families, along with the insidious dangers inherent in small town gossip.
Unfortunately, both Phoebe and Grant’s and June and Wyatt’s fathers have long
since deserted their families, leaving wives and children to survive as best
they can in highly dysfunctional units.
To say that nobody is happy is an understatement. The only person with a
caring, albeit controlling, family is Becca who constantly worries about her
broken relationship with Grant. This slow-moving tale will definitely appeal to
those interested in guilt and the psychology of unhappy and damaged
individuals.
-------
Reviewer Angela
Crowther.
Ashley Tate worked
for over a decade as an editorial writer and editor for various publications as
well as Canada's first online magazine. Writing
a novel and seeing it published is really the only thing on her bucket list and
she's ecstatic to be checking that off. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her
husband, two children.
Follow Ashley on
Twitter @tate_ab
Follow Ashley on Instagram @ashleytateauthor
Tales from the Riviera and Beyond
Donna Fletcher Crow’s latest book, Going There: Tales from the Riviera and Beyond, weaves together travel writing, historical fact and legend, and short mysteries featuring three amateur detective couples from her novels.
The book describes the author’s journey through France and Switzerland in 2021 when many countries still had Covid restrictions in place, particularly for travellers. Possible delays notwithstanding, Donna, heads for Europe accompanied by daughter-in-law Kelly, also a published writer. They plan to enjoy the delights of the French Riviera and spend some time with Kelly’s daughter, Jane, a ballet student about to finish summer school in Monaco. Each destination prompts a short story from the author.
Crow’s love of Europe and the creative writers and artists it has inspired over many years enriches the text with a touch as light as the lace worn by Lady Antonia Danvers from the writer’s ‘Lord Danvers Investigates’ series. Appropriately, therefore, Charles and his wife Antonia star in the first mystery, Le Crime Passionnel (Crime of Passion), a title that is not quite as straightforward as it might suggest.
The next stop on the journey takes the travellers to the sunshine of St Tropez and gives rise to the second story, La Mère Décrète (The Mother Decrees). This time it is Richard and Elizabeth Spenser, the academic couple from ‘The Elizabeth and Richard Literary Suspense Series,’ who are confronted with a perplexing conundrum. But will they be able to help?
Then back to the real-life Riviera adventure, where Donna and Kelly arrive in Cap Ferrat. The idyllic location gives rise to the second Elizabeth and Richard tale when the couple find themselves in a most unusual situation, the nature of which can be gleaned from the enigmatic title Le Garçon Fantôme (The Ghost Boy).
Donna and Kelly leave for Monaco where they meet up with Jane. The wealth and glamour associated with the tiny sovereign city state provides an appropriate setting for Monégasque Fracas (Mayhem in Monaco) and for the detectives from ‘The Monastery Murders’ series to make their first appearance in the book. Felicity and Antony are travelling in France when a carefree walk leads to a nasty discovery!
Reluctantly, our literary ladies must then bid farewell to the Riviera and journey on to Tours where a visit to a winery inspires Donna’s second Antony and Felicity short story, Le Vieux Vigneron (the Old Winemaker)in which Antony confronts a clash between tradition and modernity.
Basel is the next stop on the 2021 itinerary. Here the travellers visit Saint Gallen and its famous monastery, which inspires the final evocative story Flüstern der Legend (Whispers of Legend). Antony leaves his beloved Felicity to do some research only to make a discovery he had not anticipated!
Going There: Tales from the Riviera and Beyond is beautifully written and packed with charming insights about each stopping point. The stories are captivating and thought provoking as Donna Fletcher Crow crafts a tapestry of creative writing that is joyful, inspiring and informative.
Highly recommended.
-------
Reviewer:
Dot Marshall-Gent
To read more about all of Donna’s books and see pictures from her garden and research trips go to: http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/
You can follow her on Facebook at: http://ning.it/OHi0MY
Dot Marshall-Gent
worked
in the emergency services for twenty years first as a police officer, then as a
paramedic and finally as a fire control officer before graduating from King’s
College, London as a teacher of English in her mid-forties. She completed
a M.A. in Special and Inclusive Education at the Institute of Education, London
and now teaches part-time and writes mainly about educational issues. Dot
sings jazz and country music and plays guitar, banjo and piano as well as being
addicted to reading mystery and crime fiction.
