"Overture To Death" is the 8th novel in the Chief Detective-Inspector Roderick Alleyn series by Ngaio Marsh.
The Scene: a little English Village where two spinster ladies are vying for the affection of the widowed Rector of the local parish whose daughter has fallen in love with the local squire's son and the squire's cousin (one of the local spinsters) feels the match is unsuitable.
When it is decided a play will be produced to raise funds for a new piano for the parish hall, the major characters become involved in the production under the guidance of the rector's daughter, Dinah. However, when one of the local spinsters is killed by a gunshot from the piano when playing the opening piece, everyone comes under suspicion and Alleyn and his team are called in to help the local constabulary solve the murder.
Neither of the spinsters is particularly well liked so there are plenty of suspects but, as usual, Alleyn and his team employ their methodical way of detecting and come up with a prime suspect.
It's another great read from Ngaio Marsh! pazt
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Saturday, February 29, 2020
"Not If I Save You First"
I discovered "Not If I Save You First" by Ally Carter as the result of a display at my library. I loved this book and can't wait to read more Ally Carter. She has several series as well as stand alone novels.
"Not If I Save You First" is about the very close friendship between the President of the United States' son and the daugter of his secret service agent who is also his friend. Logan invites Maddie to all the events at the White House that he is required to attend which he does reluctantly and together they have explored the White House and found secret passages.
Everything changes, though, when there is a kidnap attempt on the first lady at one of these functions and Maddie's father is wounded. When he gets out of the hospital,. he takes Maddie to a remote part of Alaska where they live alone and he teaches her survival skills because he flies supplies sometimes using a helicopter and she has to stay on her own. She writes Logan every day but never receives a response from him.
In the meantime, Logan has grown into a teenager who has the habit of escaping his secret service agent. The last episode resulted in his agent being fired and his father sending him to Alaska to live with Maddie and her father. He is not well received by Maddie because she is hurt he never answered her letters.
He hasn't been there long, though , when her father has to make one of his flights leaving Maddie and Logan alone with 2 secret service agents camped out in the trees outside their small cabin. Maddie takes Logan with her to look for firewood and that's when all the excitement occurs. She is knocked down a hill and Logan is taken. He thinks she's dead but she is able to recover and begin tracking him and his kidnapper. You'll have to read the book to learn the surprising and exciting conclusion. pazt
"Not If I Save You First" is about the very close friendship between the President of the United States' son and the daugter of his secret service agent who is also his friend. Logan invites Maddie to all the events at the White House that he is required to attend which he does reluctantly and together they have explored the White House and found secret passages.
Everything changes, though, when there is a kidnap attempt on the first lady at one of these functions and Maddie's father is wounded. When he gets out of the hospital,. he takes Maddie to a remote part of Alaska where they live alone and he teaches her survival skills because he flies supplies sometimes using a helicopter and she has to stay on her own. She writes Logan every day but never receives a response from him.
In the meantime, Logan has grown into a teenager who has the habit of escaping his secret service agent. The last episode resulted in his agent being fired and his father sending him to Alaska to live with Maddie and her father. He is not well received by Maddie because she is hurt he never answered her letters.
He hasn't been there long, though , when her father has to make one of his flights leaving Maddie and Logan alone with 2 secret service agents camped out in the trees outside their small cabin. Maddie takes Logan with her to look for firewood and that's when all the excitement occurs. She is knocked down a hill and Logan is taken. He thinks she's dead but she is able to recover and begin tracking him and his kidnapper. You'll have to read the book to learn the surprising and exciting conclusion. pazt
Sunday, February 23, 2020
"The Red Sea Diving Resort"
"The Red Sea Diving Resort" is an excellent Netflix movie - fiction but based on fact - about the rescue of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan and smuggling them out to Israel. It was added to the Netflix line-up in July 2019 but I am just now getting around to watching it. It has drama, excitement, danger, and is a story of how we should help our fellow humans. It highlights the point that there was little help for these refugees because they were from Africa and Africa doesn't get a lot of attention from the rest of the world. I highly recommend this movie. pazt
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
"Buried In A Bog"
"Buried In A Bog" is the first book I've read by Sheila Connolly as well as her first book in the "A County Cork Mystery" series. I looked up her work and she has several mystery series as well as stand alone novels and, after reading this book, I will be checking out more of her work.
Maura Donovan lost her father at a young age so, when her mother walked out, she was left with her Irish grandmother to be raised. Her grandmother had emigrated to Boston after becoming widowed in search of a better life for herself and her son. When she died, her wish was for Maura to return to Ireland to learn about her roots. Although they were barely scraping by financially with both of them working, her grandmother managed to leave her enough money for the trip.
The Ireland countryside is quite a change of pace from Boston and going from having no living relatives that you know to having a whole countryside of people related to you is a bit much at times for Maura. When a body is found in a bog and Maura discovers a clue to the identity of this nearly 100 year old body, her life is majorly impacted.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of this author's work. pazt
Maura Donovan lost her father at a young age so, when her mother walked out, she was left with her Irish grandmother to be raised. Her grandmother had emigrated to Boston after becoming widowed in search of a better life for herself and her son. When she died, her wish was for Maura to return to Ireland to learn about her roots. Although they were barely scraping by financially with both of them working, her grandmother managed to leave her enough money for the trip.
The Ireland countryside is quite a change of pace from Boston and going from having no living relatives that you know to having a whole countryside of people related to you is a bit much at times for Maura. When a body is found in a bog and Maura discovers a clue to the identity of this nearly 100 year old body, her life is majorly impacted.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of this author's work. pazt
Sunday, February 16, 2020
"Death In A White Tie"
"Death In A White Tie" is the 7th book in Ngaio Marsh's Detective-Inspector Roderick Alleyn's series. It's the height of the debutante season and even Alleyn's mother, Lady Alleyn, is attending the season.
When a woman of some standing comes to Alleyn with a story of blackmail, he enlists his good friend, "Bunchy," to help him catch a blackmailer since the ransoms are to be dropped at some of the season's biggest events which Bunchy will be attending. What Alleyn did not foresee was murder! When his friend Bunchy is murdered in a taxi on his way home from a late night ball, Alleyn has to set about finding out (with the help of Detective-Inspector Fox) who among the gentry might have carried out the deed that caused the death of his good friend. After several sleepless nights of investigating, as he is falling asleep, a pattern becomes clear to Alleyn and he's ready to flush out a killer. Another good read by Marsh! pazt
When a woman of some standing comes to Alleyn with a story of blackmail, he enlists his good friend, "Bunchy," to help him catch a blackmailer since the ransoms are to be dropped at some of the season's biggest events which Bunchy will be attending. What Alleyn did not foresee was murder! When his friend Bunchy is murdered in a taxi on his way home from a late night ball, Alleyn has to set about finding out (with the help of Detective-Inspector Fox) who among the gentry might have carried out the deed that caused the death of his good friend. After several sleepless nights of investigating, as he is falling asleep, a pattern becomes clear to Alleyn and he's ready to flush out a killer. Another good read by Marsh! pazt
Saturday, January 25, 2020
"What We Take For Truth"
"What We Take For Truth" is the first novel (but not the first book) by Deborah Nedelman who has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and an MFA in creative writing.
This novel is set in the Pacific Northwest in a fictitious town not far from where I live. When I first moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1979, there was a lot of controversy between conservationists wanting to save the spotted owl and the loggers whose livelihood was being threatened.. Deborah tells the story of a young woman caught in the middle of that debate after growing up in a logging town that is now dying and she tells the tale beautifully. Her descriptions of the area and the conflicts among people is beautifully written. Our heroine has difficult choices to make as she learns more about her heritage and is on the path to her own independence. Thank you Deborah for telling this story. pazt.
This novel is set in the Pacific Northwest in a fictitious town not far from where I live. When I first moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1979, there was a lot of controversy between conservationists wanting to save the spotted owl and the loggers whose livelihood was being threatened.. Deborah tells the story of a young woman caught in the middle of that debate after growing up in a logging town that is now dying and she tells the tale beautifully. Her descriptions of the area and the conflicts among people is beautifully written. Our heroine has difficult choices to make as she learns more about her heritage and is on the path to her own independence. Thank you Deborah for telling this story. pazt.
Sunday, December 22, 2019
"A Gathering of Spies"
"A Gathering of Spies" was John Altman's debut novel. Although Altman is an American thriller writer, this novel is set mostly in Britain with some tie in with the United States in the years 1942-45.
I had picked up one of Altman's later novels but, when I saw that it was a sequel to this one, I immediately returned it to the library and searched for a copy of "A Gathering of Spies" to read.
The plot centers around a female Nazi sleeper agent/spy who has managed to live undetected in the United States despite many of her fellow agents being found and executed. She's a ruthless and accomnplished killer able to assume the identities of her victims and remain undetected. Her current husband was invited to work at Los Alamos and, as his wife, she accompanies him. She uncovers secrets (that she is able to retain in her head without committing to paper) that lead her on a journey back to Germany via Britain to get word to the Fatherland of the new mass destruction weapon America has developed.
Meanwhile back in London, Andrew Taylor, whose wife is in a German concentration camp, has been contacted by an old friend, Winterbotham, who works for the government. He wants Taylor to go to Germany on an undercover assignment for the British government. Taylor, hoping to rescue his wife, agrees.
In the meantime, our female German spy is on her way to Britain to connect with fellow spies there and find a way back to Germany. Along the way, all their paths cross but she doesn't make it easy for them to stop her. You'll have to read the book to learn how it all ends but I'm on my way to look for the next book at the library. pazt
I had picked up one of Altman's later novels but, when I saw that it was a sequel to this one, I immediately returned it to the library and searched for a copy of "A Gathering of Spies" to read.
The plot centers around a female Nazi sleeper agent/spy who has managed to live undetected in the United States despite many of her fellow agents being found and executed. She's a ruthless and accomnplished killer able to assume the identities of her victims and remain undetected. Her current husband was invited to work at Los Alamos and, as his wife, she accompanies him. She uncovers secrets (that she is able to retain in her head without committing to paper) that lead her on a journey back to Germany via Britain to get word to the Fatherland of the new mass destruction weapon America has developed.
Meanwhile back in London, Andrew Taylor, whose wife is in a German concentration camp, has been contacted by an old friend, Winterbotham, who works for the government. He wants Taylor to go to Germany on an undercover assignment for the British government. Taylor, hoping to rescue his wife, agrees.
In the meantime, our female German spy is on her way to Britain to connect with fellow spies there and find a way back to Germany. Along the way, all their paths cross but she doesn't make it easy for them to stop her. You'll have to read the book to learn how it all ends but I'm on my way to look for the next book at the library. pazt
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