April *1 author’s first or last name begins
with A, I, or R.
Death at Bishop’s Keep (#1 A Victorian
Mystery)
Author: Robin Paige
(Bill Albert & Susan Witting Albert)
Genre:
historical mystery
Number
of pages: 296
First
published: 1994
Setting:1894
Rating:
5 stars
First sentence: Kate Ardleigh glanced
warily over her shoulder.
One sentence comment: I was amazed to
find the Victorian mystery series I had been seeking.
As
an Irish American, Kate is the perfect protagonist to plunge into a late
Victorian society. An empire passing its prime is perfect for a quirky heroine
and aristocrats that sought marriages with financial consideration. Of course
we have a Charles Darwen like man to give us another spirit of the era, science
and invention. The backstory is dense such as crime that may have nothing to do
with the thematic murder in the story. I love the language that refrains me
from gobbling the novel without tasting its flavor. The ending is marvelous and
I am sure to follow this series.
April *2 fire colored spine
Murder in Chinatown (Gaslight Mysteries
#9)
Author: Victoria Thompson
Genre: historical mystery
Number of pages: 305
First published: 2007
Setting: New York in the end of nineteenth
century
Rating: 4 stars
First sentence: “I’m not in labor, am I?”
One sentence comment: The ending is great for it brought a solution and a new beginning.
It’s the ninth book in this series, and it
read as good as the previous books. I have a slight criticism, which is the
first 100 pages can be reduced into one third of the length. The conversation
in the middle of the book is very interesting, and the ending is heart-warming.
April *3 With an Earth words
A Puzzle in a Pear Tree (Puzzle Lady
Mystery #4)
Author: Parnell Hall
Genre: mystery
Number of pages: 349
First published: 2002
Setting: an American village
Rating: 3 stars
First sentence: “No, no, no,” Rupert Winston cried, silencing the piano and
vaulting up onto the stage with all the spry grace of a much younger man.
One sentence comment: This book demonstrates why I love a village life – a musical
pageant and real people posing the stable scene for Christmas.
The book introduces a new puzzle, acrostics,
which is quite amazing. The weak point of the book is that I can’t find any
characters to relate to so I can only watch ridiculous characters committing
impossible crimes. The conversation between protagonists for discussing the
crime is repetitive and boring.
April *4 with a water setting
Tell No One
Author: Harlan Coben
Genre: thriller
Number of pages: 369
First published: 2001
Setting: present
Rating: 3 stars
First sentence: There should have been a dark whisper in the wind.
One sentence comment: The author tried to create a mysterious atmosphere that doesn’t
convince me.
I was put off by the lovesick feelings of
the protagonist from the very beginning. The secret was so overdone that it was
later revealed like a pretense. The author’s writing is good but I just
couldn’t appreciate the storyline.
