February 2022 Wrap Up

Books Read:

The 12.30 from Croydon by Freeman Wills Crofts (1934)  3/5 stars

In this reverse mystery, the reader follows the murderer as he makes his plans and concocts his alibi, then waits to see if he will be found out by the Scotland Yard Inspector.  This works well in the beginning as Crofts is a talented writer/storyteller.  As the culprit is not particularly likable, though, it's hard to feel sympathy for him as the net closes around.  Worse is that the last two chapters, when Inspector French explains how he solved the mystery, are truly dull.  Crofts used the same formula more successfully in Antidote to Venom (my review here), which I would recommend more highly.

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (1925)  5/5 stars

This was a slow, leisurely reread of a favorite.  I'd like to post profound insights, or at the least, coherent thoughts, but right now I'm basking in the memory of the mood and language.  Maybe later.

Audio Books Completed:

More Work for the Undertaker by Margery Allingham (1948)  3/5 stars

I found this Campion mystery to be a bit confusing at times, mainly due to a large number of characters.  This is probably more my fault than Allingham's, but it did lessen my enjoyment of what was otherwise a fun story.

Holmes in the Valley of Fear.

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones (1985)  4/5 stars

After finishing this last month (my review here), I decided to reread it. Thanks to being more familiar with the referenced folk stories, and a bit of help from this blog post, I understood the novel much better.  I enjoyed it even more as a result, but still can't raise it to five stars due to my original complaint.

The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle (1915)  4/5 stars

This is a nicely twisting story, with Holmes at his best amid a most intriguing mystery.  When that is solved, though, the tale goes back in time to the American coalfields and a secret organization that terrorized the innocent.  This grim history takes up half the novel, and was particularly unappealing to me.  Despite that, I must admit that the plot is gripping, the solutions to the two parts of the story completely satisfying, and the Valley of Fear one of Doyle's best-written.

Riviera Gold  by Laurie R. King (2020)  4/5 stars

Mary Russell and her partner/husband Sherlock Holmes reconnect with an old friend in Monaco who has been framed for murder.  While some of the pieces didn't fully fit for me, Riviera Gold is another engaging, enjoyable, and intelligent adventure in this addictive series.

His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle (1917)  4/5 stars

Doyle is a first-rate short story author, and this penultimate collection is a good example of his generally well-written and always solidly entertaining work.

Did Not Finish:

Fallen Into the Pit by Ellis Peters

I'm quite familiar with the quality of Peters' writing due to reading many Campion mysteries.  I expected good things from this, and the prose was up to her usual standard.  The story, though, was bleak, bleak, bleak.  I might try going to the second in the series, but this one was just too depressing.

An Ambush of Widows by Jeff Abbott

I simply can not work up a bit of interest in a book when it's revealed in the second chapter that a hitman was responsible for the murder. Add to that the use of the trope-of-the-decade (a husband with secrets) and I was done. 

The Missing by Daisy Pearce

I didn't get much past the unappealing seduction scene.  In addition, *insert trope-of-the-decade complaint here*.

Sunshine by Robin  McKinley

I remember loving this when I read it nearly twenty years ago.  This time, though, it was too cheesy -- sometime cringe-worthy -- and after three hours of the audio book I had to stop.