February -Edgar Nominee Reads - Reporting

[Booknblues]

So this is to report the Edgar Nominees which we have read in the month of February.

For February we are open to any category.

It isn't necessary that you have signed up previously or that you do all three months.

I will list the nominees in the post below.

[Booknblues]

February - Free choice
March - Best First Novel
April - Best Novel

Edgar Awards -
Best Novel

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
Before She Was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
These Women by Ivy Pochoda
The Missing American by Kwei Quartey
The Distant Dead by Heather Young

Best First Novel
Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March
Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Best Paperback Original

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole
The Deep, Deep Snow by Brian Freeman
Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey
The Keeper by Jessica Moor (Penguin Random House - Penguin Books)https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
East of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman

Best Fact Crime
Blood Runs Coal: The Yablonski Murders and the Battle for the United Mine Workers of America
by Mark A. Bradley
The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia
by Emma Copley Eisenberg (
Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic
by Eric Eyre
Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country
by Sierra Crane Murdoch
Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife
by Ariel Sabar

Best Critical/Biographical
Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club by Martin Edwards
Phantom Lady: Hollywood Producer Joan Harrison, the Forgotten Woman Behind Hitchcock by Christina Lane
Ian Rankin: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Erin E. MacDonald
Guilt Rules All: Irish Mystery, Detective, and Crime Fiction
by Elizabeth Mannion & Brian Cliff
This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughingg by Jacqueline Winspear

Young Adult
The Companion by Katie Alender
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
They Went Left by Monica Hesse
The Silence of Bones by June Hur
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

The Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award

Death of an American Beauty by Mariah Fredericks
The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart
The Lucky One by Lori Rader-Day
The First to Lie by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Cold Wind by Paige Shelton (

The G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award
The Burn by Kathleen Kent
Riviera Gold by Laurie R. King
Vera Kelly Is Not A Mystery by Rosalie Knecht
Dead Land by Sara Paretsky
The Sleeping Nymph by Ilaria Tuti
Turn to Stone by James W. Ziskin

[Cora]

I put a hold on the audiobook of Catherine House at my library hoping that it would come in next month. It came in yesterday, so I went ahead and listened to it. I will hold my review until next month though since it doesn't fit the tag for this month anyway.

[Booknblues]

Cora wrote: "I put a hold on the audiobook of Catherine House at my library hoping that it would come in next month. It came in yesterday, so I went ahead and listened to it. I will hold my review until next mo..."
Sounds good, if it doesn't interfere with any of your other reading and reporting..

[Theresa]

I just started The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne. So far so good.

[Booknblues]

Theresa wrote: "I just started The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne. So far so good."
I'm one book away from startingYellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country

[Karin]

I just now put a hold on The Thursday Murder Club when I saw this list (it's coming up for a group read) because I hadn't paid attention to how new it is. I'm number 37 on the old list in my network, but perhaps I'll be really far up the list for my local library where local patrons have priority.

[Theresa]

I still have to write a review but 5 stars to The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart which is up for the Mary Higgens Clark Award. If you are at all interested in reading it, go for it.

I am hoping it is the start of a new series for her.

ETA: Here is a link to my review -https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... Great historical murder mystery set in tbe world of obssessive rich collectors at the beginning of tbe 18th century in London. Two strong interest female protagonists and an incredibly atmospheric background. All becomes more compkex as tbe plot develops and I was often surprised.

[Cora]

I just finished The Cousins by Karen M. McManus. It is nominated for young adult mystery. This was a fun young adult mystery/thriller that I read in one sitting and kept me reading late into the night to find out what would happen. I have it 4 1/2 stars. Here is the link to my review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Theresa]

I just read the first in the Alaska series by Paige Shelton whose second in the series is nominated for one of the Edgars. Really do have to read them in series order as there are 2 overarching mysteries revolving around the protagonist that are being slowing disclosed and resolved as the series progresses. Too many spoilers if read out of order.

First in series is Thin Ice which I just read and rounded up to 4 stars. The nominated second book is Cold Wind, and I'll be reading it before end of the month.

[Theresa]

I just started East of Hounslow - and so far so good - really enjoying. It's a spy thriller set among Pakistani immigrants in UK. Or so it seems so far. As I have 3 big print books I'm reading as well, I needed something I can read in bed before sleep in bad lighting - meaning an ebook. That's helping me work through some of the Edgar nominees.

[Cora]

I just finished COOP Knows the Scoop by Taryn Souders. It was nominated in the middle grade category. I gave it 4 stars. You can read my review at: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Booknblues]

Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country is a crime story, but it goes far beyond that. It is one woman's story, Lissa Yellow Bird and how she search for KC, an oil worker and what happened to him, but it is also is about Fort Berthold Indian Reservation and what happened to them when they were given the enormous wealth of oil; it is the story of Native Americans and their fight with addiction; it is the story of how crime can easily be hidden on a reservation; and it is the story of redemption.

I am struck by how much I learned while reading this book about Native American life, about greed, about oil, about forces which gather when there is money to be made. In many ways it is a parallel to another book which has been published in the last few years, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, which also narrates the story of a Native nation made rich through oil and the crimes committed against them. I was struck with how little times change.

At the center of the story is greed and addiction and the part they play.

If any of this interests you, I encourage you to read it.

Some points taken off from shifting times and perspectives, and lack of focus.

Category - Best Fact Crime

[Jen K]

Nice review! It is a fascinating story and I learned tons as well. It does certainly meander a bit but I learned so much about the local people and politics. There has to be a better way.

[Booknblues]

Jen K wrote: "Nice review! It is a fascinating story and I learned tons as well. It does certainly meander a bit but I learned so much about the local people and politics. There has to be a better way."

Agreed! It makes me curious about all of these booms like gold rushes. It seems that there is always a bit of lawlessness when greed takes over.

[Rachel N.]

I finished The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne and gave it four stars. review below

Cecily Kay has been sent home to England by her husband and on the way to her estate stops by the house of Barnaby Mayne to identify plants she collected in Smyrna. It's 1703 and Mayne is one of the top collectors in England. While touring the collection Mayne is found murdered. Cecily and her childhood friend Meacan, who was hired as an artist by Mayne, don;t believe the main suspect committed the crime and they start their own investigation. I found all the information on plants and collectors to be interesting. I like Cecily and didn't figure out the case before the ending. I hope Cecily and Meacan come back in future books.

[Theresa]

Rachel N. wrote: "I finished The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne and gave it four stars. review below

Cecily Kay has been sent home to England by her husband and on the way to her estate stops by the hous..."

Glad you liked it too! I gave it 4.5 stars I think, also really hoping we see Cecily and Meacon in other adventures.

[Cora]

I finished another of the middle grade nominees.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington - Janae Marks

4 stars

This is a middle grade novel about a girl who receives a letter from her father on her 12th birthday. Zoe's biological father has been in jail, convicted of murder, since before she was born and this letter was her first contact from him. Zoe is very curious about her father, but she worries because he is a murderer so he must be a monster. As they continue their correspondence Zoe realizes that maybe he is innocent and she must find out the truth.

I chose this book because it was nominated for the middle grade category of the Edgar Awards. My 13 year old son is a fan of mysteries so I was hoping it would be a book I could recommend to him. However, after reading it, I don't think I would categorize it as a mystery. It is a good book, on the younger side of middle grade, about important topics but I don't think it would interest my son. I really liked Zoe and I appreciated her drive to find out more about her biological father. Like many middle grade stories, I cringed at some of the things she did to do so (lying to her parents, secretly sneaking away to talk to potential witnesses, etc.). I liked her friendship with her neighbor and appreciated how it evolved throughout the book. Overall, I think it is a great book to introduce ideas to kids, such as not everyone in jail is guilty. It has a strong, intelligent black girl as the lead character but would still appeal to boys in the age group. I would recommend it to kids around 11 or 12 years old who like realistic fiction.

[Theresa]

Cora wrote: "I finished another of the middle grade nominees.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington - Janae Marks

4 stars

This is a middle grade novel about a girl who receives a..."

I love that you have a 13 YO son who loves mysteries! That was me at that age although I was also discovering romance novels because in the 1960s to find mysteries beyond Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys you had to delve into adult - so I had found Helen MacInnes, Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt in addition to Agatha Christie, all at the public library in my home town. Those were all gothic suspense or espionage with a strong romance subplot thus leading me to romance. Agatha Christie was of course the queen. Then my piano teacher added Mary Roberts Rinehart to my reading.

I don't regret diving into adult mysteries so early but it sure would have been nice to find a steady supply of mysteries for teens, not just Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys - which I adored btw - and frankly, Nancy Drew made me a reader.

[NancyJ]

Booknblues wrote: "Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country is a crime story, but it goes far beyond that. It is one woman's story, Lissa Yellow Bird and how she se..."

This sounds like something I would like too. I was deeply moved by Killers of the Flower Moon, and I might read another book by Grann this year.

[Jgrace]

I've also read The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne. Or, I listened to it. That may be why I have less enthusiasm for than Teresa and Rachel.

Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Booknblues]

Jgrace wrote: "I've also read The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne. Or, I listened to it. That may be why I have less enthusiasm for than Teresa and Rachel.

Link to my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/..."

Many mysteries, I find belong solidly in the 3 star, for their writing, but I find my enjoyment of them often pushes them to 4 star. I am stuck in a nonfiction right now, but may try to read this if and when I finish it.

[Theresa]

Finished East of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman.. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

It is nominated for Best Paperback Original category, meaning mystery genre first published in US as a paperback. This was published originally in Britain some years ago, and is first in a trilogy that is only now being published in the US.

As you can see from my review - it gets a mixed reaction from me. It is truly a different voice, a very different thriller involving muslim terrorism than we traditionally see, one that takes us inside a terrorist cell from the perspective of a young muslim that is the target for radical conversion. That also creates some of the weaknesses given what we know as reader about Jay and his motives. I still have one more nominated in this category that I want to read, but if I never get around to it, I'd say if East of Hounslow wins, it will be rewarding originality, which is not a bad thing.

[Jen K]

Finished Blood Runs Coal: The Yablonski Murders and the Battle for the United Mine Workers of America by Mark A. Bradley nominated for Best Fact Crime- 4 stars

It was an interesting piece of history.

A well researched and well presented accounting of the murder of Jock Yablonski, his wife and daughter taken mostly from the trials of those accused of the actual killing as well as those who orchestrated their deaths. Along with the accounting of the murders and the trials of those involved, Bradley also discusses the United Mine Workers of America at the time where Yablonski was battling for control breaking away from the president at the time with accusations of corruption and worse. Though tasked will looking out for miners' concerns of safety on the job, fair wage and investing in the miner communities, the union was siding more often with the owners of the mines decrying massive death tolls as part of the job rather than fighting for better workers' rights. There was much money involved in keeping the mining companies happy and in staying at the top of the union leadership. The fight was often violent until too many lines were crossed requiring reform.

I learned much from the true crime account about the mining labor union, how it was and how it became one of the best for workers. Sadly even the union could not fight lessened demand for coal. The story is telling though in the attitudes and culture of mining communities of Appalachia which could still be applied to politics now.

[Olivermagnus]

Cold Wind has been nominated for The Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award

Cold Wind - Paige Shelton - 4.5 Stars

Beth Rivers writes thrillers under the pen name Elizabeth Fairchild. She's hiding out in Benedict, Alaska until the stalker who kidnapped her last year is found and she feels safe going back to her old life. She lives in an old hotel that doubles as a halfway house for women who have been in trouble with the law and runs The Petition, Benedict's weekly newspaper.

A mudslide opens up a road that reveals a section of land that's been hidden for years, along with a shed housing a dead woman's body. Then two muddy little girls come knocking at Beth's door, little girls who don't speak at all. She notifies the sheriff, who has news of his own regarding the dead woman. Beth can't help but get involved in solving the multiple mysteries that are revealed by the mudslide.

Cold Wind is filled with great secondary characters, including Beth's quirky mother who is on the hunt for her assailant back in St. Louis. Beth did quite a few risky things in this book that made me cringe, but at least she knew her behavior was dangerous. I used to live in Alaska and there are lots of remote little villages like Benedict so I found it very authentic. While this is the second book of the Alaska Wild series, it can easily be read as standalone. I don't recommend it because the first book, Thin Ice, introduces many of the characters that play a part in this story.

This was a compelling mystery, set in an environment that is different from most, and filled with intriguing characters. I can't wait for the next book, Dark Night, currently set for publication in December 2021.

[Booknblues]

Olivermagnus wrote: "Cold Wind has been nominated for The Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award

Cold Wind - Paige Shelton - 4.5 Stars

Beth Rivers wri..."
Thanks for the review. It sounds interesting. I've put Thin Ice on my TBR.

[Cora]

I finished The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It is nominated in the Young Adult category.

The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

4 stars

Avery Gambs is a 16 year old high school student who has been living with her older half sister in Connecticut since her mother passed away. When her sister's abusive boyfriend moves back in, Avery decides she would rather live in her car. Then out of nowhere, she is summoned to Texas because the richest man in Texas has died and has left her something in his will. Avery never remembers meeting Mr. Hawthorne nor does she have any idea why he would include her in his will. When the will is read, Avery is given practically everything while the members of the Hawthorne family (Mr. Hawthorne's two daughters and four grandsons) get practically nothing. The only catch is she has to reside in the Hawthorne mansion for a year and she has to allow the rest of the Hawthorne's to stay. Now Avery and the handsome Hawthorne boys have to solve the game and riddle loving Mr. Hawthorne's last riddle. Why Avery?

The set up for this young adult mystery is a familiar one. Poor girl given an inheritance from a rich man who pass over his family and she doesn't know why. And of course, the family consists of four charming/handsome/confident boys who just so happent to be close to her age. The set up is pure fantasy and some suspension of disbelief is necessary. And of course, since this is young adult, Avery has to be attracted to all of the brothers - who she is not sure she should trust. Once you get beyond the set up - it was a fun mystery with interesting characters. I really like mysteries where the characters have to play a game and solve a riddle, so this one scratched that itch. I did predict one of the twists very early on, and the other revelations where a bit of a let down after a big build up - but there is at least one sequel so I guess we can't get all of our questions answered. This book kept me entertained and it was hard to put the book down. If you don't mind the unbelievable set up, I would recommend giving it a try.

[Theresa]

Death of an American Beauty by Mariah Fredericks - historical mystery nominated for Mary Higgins Clark Award. 4 stars.

Lady's Maid Jane Prescott starts off her vacation viewing the 1913 New York Armory Art Show, the one where cubism, such as Nude Descending a Staircase, was inroduced to an American audience to both acclaim and outrage. She then heads to the Women's Refuge run by her minister uncle, a self-righteous aloof man who nonetheless has for a long time provided safe haven on Mahattan'si> Lower East Side for abused women and prostitutes who are trying to start their lives over. The annual ladies only cotillion for those residing at the refuge is that evening. The increasingly angry neighborhood protests against the Refuge at the stoop heckling those entering and leaving. Uptown, Rutherford's Depatment Store is readying for the annual pageant where one young woman from the working classes is crowned that year's American Beauty.

Such is the setting when one of the women living at the refuge is murdered during the cotillion, and Jane's uncle, who refuses to explain where he spent the evening, comes under suspicion. Jane cannot sit by and watch her stubborn uncle, who will not answer the police's questions, is arrested, and sets out to find out who the real murderer is. Along the way, we are treated to a glorious setting in 1913 New York, from the gangster clubs on the Lower East Side to a hair salon in Harlem, and immersed in the clash of social and money divisions and the social justice issues of the day. The clues to the murderer are sown from the very first pages, and though I had a vague sense of who the murderer was after a certain point, the final reveal still caught me by surprise in many ways.

The writing is engageing and characters likeable. The historical research is meticulous - no anacrhonisms here! I like the author's structure of starting with a prologue where Jane is an elderly woman reminded by something she reads in the newspaper brings back memories of the murder. And I like her epilogue where the later stories are told of those we have met. This is the third in the series featuring Jane. It is easily read as a standalone although I will make a point of reading the others.

[Theresa]

I've read 3 nominees so far, and just started a 4th - When No One is Watching. I have 2 more I had earmarked for this month but knew they would likely drag into March and April.

2 of those I read are for Mary Higgins Clark award - Death of an American Beauty and The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne. Both were excellent and rated similarly, both are historical mysteries although that is not a requirement for the category. I tip my vote to The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne at this point given it is more original. While Death of an American Beauty was excellent and very well done, The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne treads new territory, and is more original.

I have one more to read for Mary Higgins Clark which is contemporary but I don't expect it to change my vote, based on my reading the first in the series earlier in the month.

The other category I have read for is Paperback Original. I doubt East of Hounslow will win, even though I thought it quite original, as it just didn't completely hold together for me. What I am currently reading, When No One is Watching, is promising. We'll see.

I also obtained, based on Cora's review, The Inheritance Games nominated in Young Adult.

March is Best First Novel - I have 2 planned:
Murder in Old Bombay
Winter Counts

I should be able to finish what I didn't finish in February - which I knew was overly ambitious!

What do the rest of you think about those you have read so far and their chances of winning?

[Cora]

I completed reading six nominees and I am in the middle of two more.

I read Catherine House, which is nominated for Best First Novel. I have not reviewed it yet because I was waiting for March when we are reading those nominees (It was only OK for me).

I am in the middle of reading When No One is Watching, which was nominated for Best Paperback Original. It is the only one I read for that category.

I own two of the Best Fact Crime nominees, but I have not gotten to them yet.

I read two of the Young Adult nominees: The Cousins and The Inheritance Games. I liked them both but give the edge to Cousins since the premise is a bit more original. I own The Companion but have not gotten to it yet.

I have read one of the Mary Higgins Clark nominees (The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne) and really enjoyed it.

I also read two of the middle grade nominees and I am in the middle of a third. COOP Knows the Scoop and From the Desk of Zoe Washington were both really good. I think Coop Knows the Scoop was more a traditional mystery novel and From the Desk of Zoe Washington dealt with important social issues but the mystery was not the focus of the story. I am not sure which direction the Edgars will favor, but I find it hard to compare them for that reason. I am currently reading Ikenga (which is set in Africa so bonus for counting for the tag this month) and will see how it compares when I am done.

Coming up in March I plan to read Murder in Old Bombay and Winter Counts since I have them sitting on my kindle. I will see how they compare to Catherine House.

[Booknblues]

I read Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country which is a true crime set on a reservation in North Dakota. I was ready to read some fiction after that.

I've started Winter Counts and it works well with Yellow Bird as it is set on an Indian Reservation in South Dakota and I can see similarities. Number one of which is an opioid crisis.

I have another True Crime Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic which also fits into that theme, but I'm not sure when I will get to it.

I'm hoping to also read Murder in Old Bombay this month.

[Olivermagnus]

I have three planned in March, all of which I'm really looking forward to.

Best Novel
The Missing American
The Thursday Murder Club

Best First Novel
Murder in Old Bombay

[Rachel N.]

I only read The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne in February. I did like it. I've got Murder in Old Bombay ready to go for March.

[Theresa]

I finished When No One is Watching early this morning and give it 3.5 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

It's set in Brooklyn and a minority neighborhood going through an increasingly agressive gentrification. This is a thriller so it is over the top. But there is terrific historical research incorporated, much I did not know. Of course I have mixed reactions to what's presented here as I'm a real estate lawyer and actually represented a major developer who gentrified an area of Brooklyn which is actually mentioned in passing!

Nominated for best original paperback -- how does it stack up against the other one I read - East of Hounslow? Both are thrillers written by POC about specific minority neighborhoods in major cities. I give When No One is Watching an edge for the prize given the historical research interwoven into the thriller.

[Cora]

I just finished When No One is Watching and I agree with Theresa's review. I felt like it would have been better if she decided to really go crazy and do a horror novel or if she pulled back some of the over the top exaggeration and crazy ending and went more creepy thriller (I personally think the "bad guys" would have been scarier if they weren't so obviously evil). Instead it seemed to be stuck in the in between and felt a bit off. I loved the history and the characters from the neighborhood. Those parts of the books were similar to what I really like about Cole's romance novels that I have read. I found myself thinking I would have loved to read an Alyssa Cole romance novel set in a gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood.

[Theresa]

Cora wrote: "I just finished When No One is Watching and I agree with Theresa's review. I felt like it would have been better if she decided to really go crazy and do a horror novel or if she pu..."

Or it was a zombie apocalypse....go full camp...

[Cora]

Theresa wrote: "Cora wrote: "I just finished When No One is Watching and I agree with Theresa's review. I felt like it would have been better if she decided to really go crazy and do a horror novel..."

I kept thinking of the way Jemisin addressed it in The City We Became. Although it was a fantasy novel and the evil gentrifiers were aliens, it seemed both more realistic and creepy the way the bad guys operated.

[Booknblues]

Best First Novel
Winter Counts - David Heska Wanbli Weiden

My reading habits are shifting and this effected my rating and enjoyment of the Edgar nominee, Winter Counts. I used to be all in for an action packed suspenseful mystery, but I find myself more inclined to avoid them these days and that is my main problem with the novel.

I found it interesting how much of what went on in Winter Counts was verified in a nonfiction which I read last month, Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country, so I am encouraged by its accuracy. Yellow Bird was set on a reservation in North Dakota, where Winter Counts is set on Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. They both deal with poverty, the difficulty of maintaining native culture, problems of youth suicide and drug use and questions of integrity of tribal leaders. It is a stark picture, yet both of these books do end on a note of optimism.

Winter Counts is a first novel and I wonder if Weiden will continue with a series featuring protagonist Virgil Wounded Horse. I would be willing to read another to see the direction which it goes.

[Jen K]

I plan to read Winter Counts this month and look forward to seeing how it compares with Yellow Bird.

Also plan to read The Missing American this month. I completed Blood Runs Coal: The Yablonski Murders and the Battle for the United Mine Workers of America last month and found the coal mine union war to be fascinating, just a piece of history I didn't know.

[Booknblues]

Jen K wrote: "I plan to read Winter Counts this month and look forward to seeing how it compares with Yellow Bird.

Also plan to read The Missing American this month. I completed ..."

I think that although one is fiction and the other is nonfiction, there are many similarities between Yellow Bird and Winter Counts.

I have The Missing American on my TBR, but not sure if I can get to it this month. My March reading list is over full.

[Theresa]

I have both Winter Counts and The Missing American lined up along with other Edgar nominees. Not sure when getting to them either with my 'currently reading' overloaded. But, I read something like 21 books in February plus a chunk of A Brief History of Seven Killings. Althogh a dozen of those reads were cozy mysteries or regency or contemporary romances, that's not an unusual number unless I am reading something big, slow, and hard like Proust.

I'd forgotten just how many books I can read in a month.

[Olivermagnus]

I just started the audio of Murder in Old Bombay. I love the narrator and the story was interesting enough to keep me entertained while doing the housecleaning.

[Cora]

I just finished reading Murder in Old Bombay. I really liked it (4 1/2 stars). I especially loved reading about India and the history during the late ninteenth century.

[Olivermagnus]

Nominated for Best First Novel


Murder in Old Bombay - Nev March - 5 Stars

Anglo Indian Captain Jim Agnihotri is recuperating in the hospital from war wounds when he reads a letter in the local newspaper. A young, wealthy widower, Adi Framji, is lamenting the loss of his wife, Lady Bacha, and his sister, Pilloo, who both plunged to their deaths from Bombay’s clock tower six months earlier. There's some thought that the ladies may have committed suicide.

Agnihotri, a devotee of Sherlock Holmes, seeks out Adi to offer help in investigating the incident. As he begins to track down witnesses, his exploration of the case immediately stirs up trouble, and he is targeted by thugs. But he continues to pursue leads that take him all across India and eventually back to the British Army. In the process, he becomes a member of Adi’s household, enjoying the hospitality of Adi’s parents, and the attention of his beautiful sister Diana. Along with Jim’s investigation, readers are delivered insight into the various structures of India’s society, including how people of mixed race are viewed.

I listed to the audio, narrated by Vikas Adam, which pushed the novel to five stars for me. He did a phenomenal job, and I felt totally immersed in the story. Murder in Old Bombay was a compelling mystery featuring a clever and likable protagonist. It was multilayered, involving questions of loyalty and identity, and a bit of an homage to Sherlock Holmes.

I was stunned to find out this book was based on a real life incident where two young Indian women, Bacha Godrej and her sister-in-law, Pilloo who fell from the clock tower of Bombay University in 1891. It remains unsolved.

Murder in Old Bombay has been nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and I'm rooting for it to win.

[Olivermagnus]

Nominated for Best First Novel


Darling Rose Gold - Stephanie Wrobel - 4 Stars

Darling Rose Gold chronicles a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship. The fictional story is based on the real life story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard who was born in 1991 and thought to have a collection of chronic conditions, including leukemia, asthma, muscular dystrophy and impaired mental capacity. Gypsy Rose was eventually determined to be a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy by her mother Dee Dee who was accused of fabricating most of her daughter’s disabilities.

At the start of this novel, single mother, Rose Gold, is picking up Patty, the mother who severely mistreated her for almost two decades. She's decided to invite Patty into her recently purchased home now that she's been released from prison. Told through the alternating perspectives of Patty and Rose Gold, you won’t know which one is reliable and you will keep changing your mind..

The subject manner in Darling Rose Gold is very dark but the author mostly alludes to what was done to Rose Gold as child. The story revolves around the consequences of that abuse. It won't take long to discover that Rose Gold and Patty both have more sinister plans than just reconciling. Both of these characters are very complicated. Both grew up in abusive households, which explains their actions, but doesn’t condone them.

This psychological thriller got tons of publicity prior to being published. I immediately added it to my TBR. Then some not-so-positive reviews came out and I waffled on whether I wanted to read it or not. Maybe my expectations were quite low by the time I read it but I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. If you need to like your main characters, you should probably skip this one.

[Theresa]

Cold Wind by Paige Shelton

Nominee for Mary Higgins Clark award

4 stars

We are back in Benedict, AK with Beth and the townsfolk. It's early autumn and Beth is writing again while settling in to stay the winter, her first in Alaska. A recent mudslide has opened up areas around Benedict that had closed off by a mudslide about 6 years earlier. It also brings a frozen woman's body to light, introduces Beth to a few more area residents, and has 2 young mute girls covered in mud appear at The Petition's shed next to the library. As the plot unfolds, murder, mayhem and missing persons are disclosed and crimes solved. Beth continues to have occasional memory flashes from her abduction. At the same time back in the lower 48, it looks like there may be a lead on her abductor and a hint that he was connected to her father before his disappearance when she was a child.

This series just gets better and better. The mysteries are layered and complex, not easy for the reader to solve. There are always one or two clues or connections that seem incredibly obvious when you read them, the author usually has the characters see them pretty quickly or at least conclude as you the reader have that they are all related some how. Love the characters and the setting is spectacular. I can't wait for the next, due in December 2021.

I have now read 3/5 from this category and all 3 were excellent. I still give The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne the win.

[Booknblues]

Some books are so much fun to read that the joy of reading them makes it hard to be critical and Murder in Old Bombay is one such book. This is the first novel of Nev March and earned her a nomination for the Edgar Awards.

I loved everything about this book, the time and place setting, the characters, the plot line and the constant action. It was an exciting and interesting book which I learned a lot from.

I would encourage all who love mysteries or historical fiction to read this book.

[Jen K]

After 2 glowing reviews, I'm adding Murder in Old Bombay to my wish list.

I finished Winter Counts last week. The crime thriller part was ho hum but loved all the incorporation of Lakota current life, cultural traditions and history.

Plan to start The Missing American today.

[Booknblues]

Jen K wrote: "After 2 glowing reviews, I'm adding Murder in Old Bombay to my wish list.

I finished Winter Counts last week. The crime thriller part was ho hum but loved all the ..."

We are in complete agreement on Winter Counts. I found myself wondering if I would read a second installment, if he continues it as a series.

I'm planning on reading The Missing American in early April.

[Theresa]

Booknblues wrote: "Jen K wrote: "After 2 glowing reviews, I'm adding Murder in Old Bombay to my wish list.

I finished Winter Counts last week. The crime thriller part was ho hum but ..."

I have both of those to read. Likely in April. Too many evening meetings this month plus streaming from the Athena Film Festival that is being held virtually all month.

It has brought me back to reading more mysteries!