The Waynes of Wood Mount

Elizabeth Cadell

This is a three-book series by Elizabeth Cadell about the Wayne family and their friends, focusing on relationships, with light romance thrown in.  The publishes states that these books stand alone, but I feel that they should be read together, in order, to best appreciate the characters.

The Lark Shall Sing (1955) 4/5 stars
The Blue Sky of Spring (1956) 4/5 stars

Six Impossible Things (1961)  3/5 stars

In the first book, The Lark Shall Sing, the Wayne family of six siblings (aged 24 down to 7) is introduced.  They've been orphaned, and were scattered around the country for a year.  Lucille, the eldest, has decided to sell the family home, Wood Mount, and her two sisters and three brothers are horrified.  They descend on Lucille, to beg to stay at Wood Mount as a family.  What follows is a sweet tale of family relationships, lightly romantic, gently humorous, and fully enjoyable.  

The Blue Sky of Spring follows the oldest brother, Nicholas, the woman he loves, and an American stranger.  Again, it's a gentle book about relationships -- friendship, romance, family -- with an interesting and not fully predictable plot.  The Waynes are charming and their situations heart-touching, and the book is completely entertaining.

In Six Impossible Things, Julia, the youngest sister, returns from studying abroad, a local friend is getting married, and a stranger involves the Waynes in her attempt to break up from a controlling and vindictive fiancé.  The result is an appealing, mostly lighthearted story of romance, friendship, and connections, but one not as substantial and griping as the previous two in the series.

November 2023 Wrap-Up

Books Read:

The Riddles of Hildegarde Withers by Stuart Palmer (1947)  3/5 stars
I've read the first of the Miss Withers mysteries, and enjoyed it in general.  This is a set of average short stories, and I don't think that she and her friend Inspector Piper show up to their best advantage here.  

The Man of Dangerous Secrets by (Margery Allingham writing as) Maxwell March (1933)  3/5 stars

The far-fetched plot was often ridiculous, but managed to be mostly entertaining, though slow at times.

Fishy, Said the Admiral by Elizabeth Cadell (1947)  4/5 stars

This is a delightful and entertaining novel of family and friend relationships, wrapped around a light romance, and filled with a good deal of charm.  I certainly enjoyed it.

Audiobooks Read:

To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World by Arthur Herman (2004)  5/5 stars

This is a stupendously good history of the British Navy, well-written, intelligent, easily accessible, and totally engrossing.  I highly recommend it!

An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew by Annejet van der Zijl, translated by Michele Hutchison  (2015)  3/5 stars

This promised to be an interesting book, based on the summation of Tew's life in the blurb, but it was spoiled by historical misconceptions (and even some inaccuracies), poor writing (or translation?), and the fact that the author made the men in Tew's life the focus, with her as a sort of side character. It was, overall, quite disappointing.

A World Beneath the Sands: The Golden Age of Egyptology by Toby Wilkinson (2020)  4/5 stars

This is a fascinating account of the British, German, and French attempts to gain Egyptian artifacts, beginning with Napoleon's Egyptian campaign through to Carter's discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922.  Wilkinson writes well and presents his information in an accessible fashion and, in addition, makes the characters and situations come alive.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

October 2023 Wrap Up

the Lockridges

Books Read:

The Norths Meet Murder by Frances and Richard Lockridge (1940)  3/5 stars
This is the charming beginning to the Mr. and Mrs. North series, written by Frances Lockridge and her husband Richard.  Detective Weigand of the NYPD does most of the solving, but Mrs. North's personality steals the show.  It's a solid and entertaining mystery.

Murder out of Turn by Frances and Richard Lockridge (1941)  3/5 stars
As with the first in the series, Detective Weigand of the NYPD does most of the solving, but the Norths help in their own particular fashion.  It's charming, interesting, and definitely entertaining.

A Pinch of Poison by Frances and Richard Lockridge (1941)  4/5 stars
This third in the series follows the pattern of the first two, with Mrs. North's personality being the main draw, and Detective Weigand of the NYPD doing most of the investigating.  The solid plot was convoluted enough to stay engaging and entertaining, while the Norths and Weigand are becoming even more likable.

Audiobooks Completed:

Mapping the Great Game: Explorers, Spies and Maps in 19th-century Asia by Riaz Dean (2019)  4/5 stars
This is a highly interesting and entertaining history of the race between Imperial Russia and Victorian Great Britain to map India, Afghanistan, Turkestan and Tibet. The author made sure to include lesser known heroes, even nameless ones, in addition to the famous.  It is easy to read, and surprisingly engrossing.  I definitely recommend it to those with any interest in this very specific area.

September 2023 Wrap-Up

I'm a wee bit late, aren't I? 

The Devil and Her Son by (Margery Allingham writing as) Maxwell March  (1935)  4/5 stars
The plot is hard to describe, and it's really better to go in knowing as little as possible about the book, to be able to enjoy the surprises more fully.  It's easy to sum up in this way, though: melodramatic, gothic, improbable, and yet, extremely enjoyable   

Dead Men Don't Ski by Patricia Moyes  (1959)  4/5 stars
In this book, the first in a series following Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Tibbit, Tibbit is requested to investigate a potential drug smuggling ring while on a skiing holiday.  It is well-written and entertaining, with an excellent number of clues and red herrings.  Despite having read it before, I enjoyed it immensely and found Moyes' plotting to nicely executed. 

The Sunken Sailor  by Patricia Moyes  (1961)  4/5 stars
In this very enjoyable and well written novel, vacationing Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Tibbit feels that the apparently explained death of a sailor seems to be less certainly an accident and more definitely murder.  

House of Storm by Mignon Eberhart (1949) 4/5 stars
Early on, this suspense novel seems light, silly, and painfully obvious.  As it progresses though, Eberhart infuses it with such Gothic vibes that even the location is menacing.  

Postmark Murder by Mignon Eberhart (1956)  4/5 stars
A large amount of bequeathed money, an orphaned Polish child, and a murdered stranger combine with a likable heroine in this light novel of mystery and suspense.  Eberhart had a knack for creating a sinister atmosphere in the most normal of environs, and did so nicely in this entertaining story.  

Call After Midnight by Mignon Eberhart (1964)  4/5 stars
In this mystery-suspense novel, Jenny, thinking she is still in love with her ex-husband, is quick to go to his aid when his new wife is shot.  When the wife is shot again -- fatally this time -- Jenny is among the short list of suspects.  This is an atmospheric, enjoyable read that, though short, had some good moments.

Audiobooks Completed:

The Taste of Conquest: The Rise and Fall of the Three Great Cities of Spice by Michael Krondl (2007)  4/5 stars
In this nonfiction, Krondl gives the history of the spice trade through the three most important spice trading cities of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: Venice, Lisbon, and Amsterdam.  It's easy to read and, though light, still informative and enjoyable.

The Artist, the Philosopher, and the Warrior: The Intersecting Lives of Da Vinci, Machiavelli, and Borgia and the World They Shaped by Paul Strathern (2009)  2/5 stars

The author's premise is that these three men spent a small amount of time together, and that time changed their perspectives and, from there, the course of history.  Unfortunately, the book is full of supposition and speculation -- especially about Da Vinci -- with these repeated words and phrases summing up the gist of the information given:  might; might could have; possibly; probably; must have; in all likelihood; it would seem; it would appear to suggest; it would have been out of character; if we assume; we can surmise.  Though I finished it in hopes that he would eventually prove his point, I came away very frustrated as he was unable to do so without postulating.

Elixir: A Parisian Perfume House and the Quest for the Secret of Life by Theresa Levitt (2023)  5/5 stars

Levitt tells the history of the development of organic chemistry in 18th and 19th century France through biographies and anecdotes, with a strong grounding in historical context.  The book is accessible to those (like me) with little or no chemistry background, the prose is well-written, and is a delightfully interesting and engaging read.

August 2023 Wrap-Up

Books Read:

The Kingsclere Mystery by Moray Dalton  (1924)  4/5 stars
This, Dalton's first published crime novel, is a mix of gothic novel and murder mystery, and was completely enjoyable.  As with her later novels, it's generally well written and fully engrossing, and, despite being easy to solve, was a darn good story.

Death in the Stocks by Georgette Heyer  (1935)  3/5 stars

This mystery contains Heyer's signature wit, along with her usual likable characters, amusing situations, and snappy conversations.  Unfortunately, the crime was too easy to solve as well as unconvincing.

The Buckled Bag and Locked Doors   (1914) by Mary Roberts Rinehart  3/5 stars  (my review here)

Miss Pinkerton by Mary Roberts Rinehart  (1932)  4/5 stars (my review here)

The Haunted Lady by Mary Roberts Rinehart  (1942)  4/5 stars (my review here)

Episode of the Wandering Knife by Mary Roberts Rinehart  (1950)  4/5 stars (my review here)

The Shadow on the Wall by Moray Dalton (1926)  4/5 stars

It's best to know little of the plot of this mystery-suspense novel going in, so that it unfolds as a surprise.  I'll merely say that while it is melodramatic and implausible, it's also engrossing, twisty, and highly entertaining.

Audiobooks Completed:

The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhak  (2022)  4/5 stars

This is a nonfiction account of Brunhilde and Fredegund, two rival Queens (sisters-in-law, in fact) of the 6th-century Merovingian Dynasty, and how they shaped the Frankish Empire and it's future.   It's extremely interesting, generally well-written, and surprisingly entertaining. 

Three Empires on the Nile: The Victorian Jihad, 1869-1899 by  Dominic Green (2007)  4/5 stars

This nonfiction account tells of the clash between Victoria's Britain, Turkish-ruled Egypt, and the Islamic army of the Madhi in Sudan toward the end of the nineteenth century.  Green brings many of the Victorian players to life, and manages to tell a good yarn while explaining a tragic bit of history.  I certainly recommend it to those interested in Victorian foreign politics, or larger-than-life Victorian figures.

The Nurse Hilda Adams Mysteries by Mary Roberts Rinehart

Mary Roberts Rinehart wrote three novellas and two novels about Nurse Hilda Adams, who was recruited to work undercover with the homicide department.

Mary Roberts Rinehart

The Buckled Bag and Locked Doors  (1914) 3/5 stars
These two novellas introduce Hilda Adams, a nurse who is engaged by a Police Inspector to do undercover work.  Told from the first-person point-of-view of Nurse Adams, they are at times both delightful and amusing.  The mystery in both is quite interesting, and the stories were enjoyable overall.

Miss Pinkerton  (1932)  4/5 stars

When an elderly lady's nephew commits suicide, Police Inspector Patton is skeptical and arranges that Nurse Hilda Adams should be the nurse in charge of the old woman's care.  This well-written novel is told in Nurse Adams' delightful and amusing voice, and is both engrossing and entertaining.

The Haunted Lady (1942)  4/5 stars

A family matriarch, convinced that someone in her own house is trying to scare her to death, requests police assistance, and Nurse Hilda Adams is sent in undercover.  Unlike the previous stories featuring Nurse Adams, this one is not told from her point of view.  It's understandable, as the reader will need more information than Hilda could give in first-person, but I certainly missed her delightful, amusing voice.  The mystery itself was nicely twisted and satisfying.

Episode of the Wandering Knife  (1950)  4/5 stars

This is a collection of two novellas (The Episode of the Wandering Knife and The Secret) and one short story ("The Man Who Hid His Breakfast").  The first novella was laugh-out-loud funny and a true pleasure, worthy of five stars.   The second novella, featuring Nurse Hilda Adams, was implausible, though certainly interesting, but only three star material.  They sandwich the entertaining and well-written short story, following a retiring Police Inspector's final case, which was not fully satisfying, earning four stars from me.

July 2023 Wrap Up

Books Read:

The Strange Case of Harriet Hall by Moray Dalton (1936)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

Death in the Dark by Moray Dalton (1938)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

The Art School Murders by Moray Dalton (1943)  3/5 stars  (my review here)

Unexpected Night by Elizabeth Daly (1940)  3/5 stars  (my review here)

Deadly Nightshade by Elizabeth Daly (1940)  3/5 stars  (my review here)

Murders in Volume 2 by Elizabeth Daly (1941)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

The House without the Door by Elizabeth Daly (1942)  4/5 stars  (my review here)

Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert (1950)  3/5 stars

This murder mystery is well-written and generally enjoyable, but the combination of a most unlikely disposal of the victim and a not fully convincing motive made it only an average read for me.

The Chignon Scarf  by Mignon G. Eberhart (1939)  3/5 stars

This mystery is improbable and, at times, silly, with a case of love-at-first-sight, a remote and cut-off location, and overdone drama.  It's not Eberhart's best, but is still undeniably entertaining for those who enjoy the light suspense novels of this era.

The Canary Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine (1927)  3/5 stars

Georgette Heyer

This is an interesting, mostly entertaining, and generally well-written locked room mystery with a clever solution.  Unfortunately, Philo Vance, the amateur detective and hero, only figured it out by accident and that lessened my enjoyment.

Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer  (1933)  4/5 stars

Heyer's Regency novels are better known than her Golden Age mysteries, and rightly so, but this one was quite enjoyable.  It has a solid and twisty plot with plenty of clues, and is filled with Heyer's typically excellent dialogue and signature wit.   The culprit is obvious early-on, but the journey to the solution is where the fun lies.  

Audio Books Completed:

Queen Victoria's Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages that Shaped Europe by  Deborah Cadbury (2017)  4/5 stars

This is a nonfiction discussion of European politics during the late Victorian era as seen through the lens of the marriages of Queen Victoria's children and grandchildren.  The title suggests that it will tell of the Queen's personal involvement in the marriages, which was not actually a lot, but the subtitle truthful shows that it only features those marriages that affected European politics.  I found both aspects to be somewhat disappointing, as I would have enjoyed learning about some of the Queen's lesser-known children and grandchildren.  Nonetheless, I found it generally well-written and thoroughly entertaining and informative; I would certainly recommend it to other armchair historians also interested in this area.

In Search of a Kingdom: Francis Drake, Elizabeth I, and the Perilous Birth of the British Empire by Laurence Bergreen (2021)  3/5 stars

This is a nonfiction account of Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe,  his role in defeating the Spanish Armada, and his relationship with Queen Elizabeth I.  The topic itself is fascinating, but Bergreen didn't do it full justice.  The narrative rambles at times, tends to repeat itself, and, while detailing some events, gives very little information on others.  So, while I liked it and learned new-to-me information, I can only recommend it with the caveat that it is not a lively or completely enjoyable book.

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