Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "pluto-s-snitch"

The Book of Beloved by Carolyn Haines

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A Southern Gothic cosy with ghosts, murder and mystery galore.

Raissa James, a teacher, aspiring writer and war widow, finally agrees to visit her uncle's home, Caoin House, in Mobile, Alabama, for the summer. She hopes it will be what she needs to enable her to spend time on her writing and heal from the grief that has dominated her life since the loss of her husband.

Quickly making new friends and finding the spark of a potential romantic interest, Raissa begins to think that she may be able to build her future here. But Caoin House has a dark history and may be haunted by more than just the stains of its past.

When a suspicious death occurs, Raissa finds herself determined to not let it rest. Hoping to right wrongs past and present, she unwittingly places herself in danger. The key to the mystery hinges on the secrets of the Book of Beloved - secrets someone, or something, is determined will never be uncovered.

'The Book of Beloved' is the first in Carolyn Haines' 'Pluto's Snitch' series. A cross between cosy mystery, gothic ghost story and historical fiction, it makes for a light-hearted, relaxing read, while still dealing with some underlying heavy subject matter. Set in 1920, the spectre of the First World War still looms in recent memory. Despite the progression of industry and renewed hopes for the future, the devastation of the war's effects remain evident in day-to-day life, particularly for those who lost someone.

The story is told from Raissa's perspective. She is immediately a likeable character; we encounter her afflicted by grief but beginning to look to the future, can feel her youth and naivety, her frustrations at the limitations imposed on her gender, as well as her passion and thirst for justice, both moral and social. Prejudice and discrimination are major themes of the novel; the period a pivotal time, with women poised to finally be allowed to vote, racial discrimination and the class structure still the basis of normal society, and attitudes towards sex, relationships and sexuality archaic.

The setting of Caoin House is particularly well-evoked, taking the classic manor house setting of many classic mysteries of the period and creating a Southern Gothic version complete with hauntings and the romance and tragedy of the past; the narrative serving as an introduction to the mystery series and its key players and ending with a tantalising glimpse of the next mystery in the series, 'The House of Memory'.



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The House of Memory by Carolyn Haines

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Pluto's Snitch Detective Agency investigate their first case of paranormal mystery.

Raissa James and her business partner Reginald Proctor have been called upon to assist a young woman, Camilla, in hope their skills in investigating the occult and the paranormal may prove decisive. Currently residing in the Bryce Hospital asylum, Camilla attacked her fiancé while they toured their new home, Roswell House, apparently under the influence of a delusion.

This is not the only strange and unsettling occurrence they encounter. Young women have been disappearing from the surrounding areas, while other patients from Roswell House seem also to have vanished without trace. Raissa has no doubt that Camilla is in grave danger; discovering from whom or what is paramount to averting a dangerous medical operation in only a few days' time.

Feeling the presence of a malign entity at Roswell House, Raissa is convinced it will be the route to unravelling the mystery. Whether Camilla is victim to a possession or if she truly is affected by psychosis, the danger that hovers around her threatens to pull others into its orbit with deadly consequences.

Picking up following the conclusion of 'The Book of Beloved', the newly formed Pluto's Snitch agency has received its first request for help by means of a letter from Zelda Fitzgerald, which launches a challenging case. After a slower-paced start introducing the cast of characters and various plotlines, the plot picks up speed, juggling the multiple mysteries and building suspense, practically hurtling into the final scene.

Following recent events and newly opening her business, Raissa's confidence in herself and her abilities is beginning to flourish. Despite expectations to conform to society's view of women, she is striving to fight these limitations and carve out her own place in the world. I particularly enjoyed finding Raissa in the thick of the action and not relegated to the observer that society deemed appropriate. Women's independence and wider prejudice and discrimination continue to be core themes of the series, while this novel also deals with themes of mental health - with a particular focus on the treatment of 'hysterical' women and 'mad' people during this period.

There are also elements of fun to the rebellious nature of the female characters and the decadence experienced by the upper classes during the inter-war period in certain scenes, both light relief and juxtaposition to some of the darker elements of the novel and the lives of the underprivileged, making the entire concoction a thrilling and immersive read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The novel ends with the pull of another case, to lead directly into the third in the series, 'The Specter of Seduction'.

A mix of mystery and detective fiction, gothic horror and ghost stories, 'The House of Memory' is a perfect blend of Southern Gothic cosy; which, like all the best cosies, beneath the surface isn't so cosy after all.



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