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I have no patience for the syrupy, plastic, sanitized nature of "cozy mysteries", which feel like children's literature because there is scarcely anything adult about them. Nancy Atherton is an ingenuis exception, whose work I savour returning to. The ones you see me read are lighter than "standard mystery" in topical tone solely. The talent, exceptional plotting, and rich vocabulary are not light. I drink it in!

We see "Nancy Drew And The Hidden Staircase" in theatres today!

Trucking along on a blizzard day. Ron is home from work and the cats are enjoying having him with us all day, as much as I am. They get treats from Dad at any hour and a lot of lap time. The odd thing, which I have never beheld before, is that it is warm! We keep at 0 Celsius, with snow and wind that prevent driving but without any cold. With neighbours' dogs silent, we can enjoy today's snowy, breezy fairyland.

All right: I will read Walter Karig's third contribution to the "Carolyn Keene" pseudonym, then return to the impressive, originating Mildred A. Wirt. The first novel in which she was in full charge, volume #2, has been my easy favourite. Hands-down, "The Hidden Staircase" is far more mysterious, suspenseful, and action-packed the way mystery novels should be. Imagine my elation, that its film débuts this Friday!

I have heard that my favourite Nancy Drew novel is being shown as a film this week-end! I would have mild interest if it were any other book. But volume 2, "The Hidden Staircase", is my favourite because it is an unusually good one! The clip I saw has the mysterious, secretive atmosphere I love that is far more compelling than chasing thieves. I recently had the thrill of seeing John Bellairs on film. This next!

You would think I could surpass 15 pages in a bedtime sitting but it was and "Oak Island"-watching evening at our house! Ron & I love it. What's more, these old-fashioned paginations place new chapters right in the next paragraph. They do not even skip a page to start anew. Therefore I am progressing further than it appears. Again, I feel compelled to remark that I enjoy the comedic approach Agatha took to this.

It started out amusing. I like humour in old crime novels, a pairing of words that often denote a genre too dry for me. Now it is getting good!

I keep doing that "falling asleep" thing, or I would read novels in one night. :) I don't understand how any reader could have insomnia. It is a lovely way to retire, so comfortable that I fight not to nodd off. Back to the wonderfully well-developed cast of characters by the enthralling Anne Perry.

We fell asleep too fast, after a wonderful evening watching "Star Trek Discovery" together. We had missed the season opener early this month and a couple of recent episodes, because "The Big Bang Theory" is on at the same time. There is no "Netflix" for us and you can't videotape from a satellite dish, except the channel you are on. On dial-up internet, it takes 2 1/2 days to download a 1-hour MP4.... but I did!

And now, we are at my favourite part, where Charlotte joins brainstorming forces with her amusing sister, Emily!

Whew! You know you have stepped up from "cozy" mystery into "standard" mystery, when a grim and serious murder was discovered on page one. This one, including sex organ dismemberment, is gruesome but flitted by quickly. This is not "psychological thriller" / "horror" thankfully.
This novel will be serious without any more gross descriptions than that, about how various cultures / classes will react to everything.

We are in the thick of the action, which we swung into from the beginning. The home time with Brooklyn, her parents, and siblings in their calm commune, not to mention cozier down-time than usual with her boyfriend, Derek and sexy friend, Gabriel; round this story out more nicely than "cozy mysteries" usually do. I like Kate for a reason. However I find it too convenient to suddenly suss out clues in her hometown.

Oh gosh, is it hard to step down from "standard mystery". It's as if some authors take a pass on writing quality, just because they lead with wonderful humour. Here is a tip for authors & reviewers alike. If you find a living person, say "a person". If you find a body, JUST SAY "a body"! As if that weren't annoying enough, Kate repeated "dead" body something like 60 times in 40 pages! I wanted to scream!

Well now we are trotting along. We knew there were personal developments galore but despite flat narration and throwaway dialogue for the first half, we feel the heart of every development and personal development now and are well-invested in them and moved by them. Furthermore the mystery, which never lacked originality, has accumulated intriguing clues that I am enjoying immensely. I will coast through this now.

I asked if anyone knew the "buried spiritual documents" quest novel I was enthusiastic about finding. I had commented on it, no more than a couple of months ago, at the profile of someone not connected with me. I backtracked through "comment" and "like button" history all day, all the way to January 10 and found it at 1:30AM! It is "Mythos Christos"! When I purchase an affordable paperback, it had better be good!