Showing posts with label short story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label short story. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten

I didn't realize this was a collection of short stories. Or that this was such a short book. It is still utterly delightful. I'm wondering where they were published before because I had read one of them.
All of the stories center on Maud. She has lived in the same apartment for over seventy years. After her father died, it was the only thing of value the family owned. The building was sold but her apartment was kept for as long as she, or her mother, or her sister, lived. Maud is the only one left but she still lives in that apartment. She travels at least once a year but always returns. Her life has been filled with disappointments but lately she has taken to killing the people that she sees as a threat.


Four stars
This book came out January 1, 2013
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Bodies from the Library 2 -- an Anthology

No Face by Christianna Brand

A psychic, Mr. Jospeh Hawk, is certain he knows the identity of a serial killer. Yes, he often fakes many of his tricks but he might have some skill. But his assistant Delphine (sp?) is in danger. Would he prefer that she be hurt in order to fulfill his predictions? Or hers?

Three stars

Before & After by Peter Antony
An old woman dies. Mr. Verity, an amateur detective, believes it is her husband and the nurse. Inspector Sparrow thinks there might be more to it. And a little bit of honest police work might just prove him correct. So why let Mr. Verity direct that they be picked up? Well, in real life, if someone is around so many bodies, usually someone gets suspicious...

Four stars - mostly because finally someone is suspicious of the detective

Hotel Evidence by Helen Simpson
Henry Broadrib (sp?) is startled that his wife, Sissy, wants a divorce. He is loathe to acquiesce as it means that he will have to paint himself in a bad light. But he give in and willingly accepts a hot water bottle when she passes it on to him. But it might be harder than they both think as Henry is so very likable that no one wants to report against him. 

Three and a half stars - amusing but not really a mystery story nor is there any suspense

Exit Before Midnight by Q. Patrick
Carol Thorne (sp?) is working overtime right now to help with a merger. Her job ends at midnight so she's splashing out with a nice hairdo before she has to go back to work, helping the shareholders close the merger. When she returns, there is a threat of murder that has been left in her typewriter in the form of a memorandum. 

Four and a half stars - as one of the longer stories, it is better developed. It gives us better character development and allows for a nice build up of suspense. 

A Joke's a Joke by Jonathan Latimer
A young man, Barnes, likes to play pranks on people. His latest is to introduce his own wife, Mary Lou, to his particular favorite to play pranks on. But it doesn't quite turn out like Barnes thinks it will.

Three and a half stars - not a mystery but a fun little story

The Man Who Knew by Agatha Christie
A man is home but he knows something is wrong. Then he sees the word on his theater pamphlet, "Don't go home." A gun found in his apartment, his uncle murdered... there is just a chance that he can turn this night around.

The Almost Perfect Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine
Philo Vance is telling stories about some of his more famous cases. In this one, he mentions that even the most perfectly planned crimes may go off the rails for the most ridiculous of reasons. In this story, someone decides to verify a translation and suddenly, the teeth of a dead body might not be as identifiable as originally thought.

Three stars - serviceable

The Hours of Darkness by Edmund Crispin
The book opens on Christmas Eve. There is a game of hide and seek afoot. But rather than using it for making love to their partners, a murderer uses the time for other pursuits. Gervase Fen is nearby to connect this case to an earlier one, one in which a brother and sister 

Three stars - at least this one is a mystery but a little convoluted

Chance Is a Great Thing by E. C. R. Lorac
Poor Peggy is ready to get married but her only relation, her aunt, is doing so poorly she's afraid to leave her. Her neighbors encourage her to get married and go on her honeymoon; they'll keep an eye on her. But then auntie dies...

Four stars - for as short as it is, you get a clear picture of the characters

The Mental Broadcast by Clayton Rawson
The Great Merlini is trying to come up with a new card trick. Our narrator is not impressed.

Two and a half stars

White Cap by Ethel Lina White
Tess is trying to calm herself down. She has been taken in by a man who was a swindler and her work is uncertain. At work, Miss Ratcliffe is basically taking over the company and she has Tess in her sights. Of course, Ratcliffe is the one who ends up dead.

Three and a half stars

The Adventure of the Dorset Squire by C. A. Alington
The lights go out but then a lot of stuff happens, but, while some of it is comedic, none of it is a murder nor a suspense story. 

Two stars

The Locked Room by Dorothy L. Sayers
Lord Peter is at a house party where he meets a young woman named Betty. She is engaged but she and Lord Peter spend their time with some light flirting (maybe a little more). Her good mood is ruined when her uncle comes home proclaiming that he is ruined. He yells at Betty and his wife and declares that he will commit suicide. Lord Peter is skeptical. Usually people who commit suicide don't declare it so baldly. But, the next morning, the man is dead. Luckily, Lord Peter knows exactly what happened.

Three stars

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Bodies from the Library edited by Tony Medwar

A delightful collection of lesser-known short stories from well-known authors. They include A.A. Milne, Arthur Upfield, Agatha Christie, and more.
My favorite story was Jeffrey and Veronica who meet as strangers at Monte Carlo. Both have recently left their positions (or so they say) and are enjoying a vacation before finding work again. But a night in a casino means that Veronica has left with the wrong bag and that sets off a curious chain of events.
I wish that the stories and the author's biographies had been switched. It would have been nice to have some background to the stories before hearing them.

Four stars
This book came out July 26, 2018
Audiobook from Audible
Opinions are my own

Thursday, November 11, 2021

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten, Marlaine Delargy

I would definitely read the first book in this series before reading this one. There is some information about both the stories and the character that are important to this book. 
After the events of the last book, Maud decides to head back to South Africa and get away from the police for a little bit. While on the plane, she has some dreams about some of the first times she (maybe) committed murder or at least set out on a path that some people wouldn't call so very nice.
This is such an odd set of stories and yet I still enjoyed them. 

Four stars
This book came out October 5th, 2021
Borrowed as ebook from Libby
Opinions are my own


Sunday, September 26, 2021

Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

This is a perfectly lovely collection of various stories by Agatha Christie including a wide swathe of her detectives. There were a few stories that I didn't quite get the winter connection but... eh. From a wide swath of her series, her detectives include Tommy and Tuppence, Mr. Satterthwaite and Harley Quinn (two stories!), Mr. Parker Pyne, Hercule Poirot, and Jane Marple. It also includes the short story version of the longest running play of all time, "Three Blind Mice." 
If you've never read Christie, these are some of her best stories and give you a glimpse into many different series. If you have read Christie, these stories are old friends and remind you why she is often called the Queen of Mystery. 

Four stars
This anthology came out October 1st, 2020
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own


Saturday, September 18, 2021

The Golden Ball And Other Stories by Agatha Christie

Every once in awhile Agatha Christie, Queen of the Mystery, would write stories that just had a happy ending. Often they had a twist, but are not mysteries. And they are all delightful. she also wrote some books that were more supernatural in bent. These are not as good but somewhat interesting. 
The first story has a widowed mother who wants the best for her children and a cheap house to let might just find it -- and some happiness for herself as well. A couple of stories feature young men throwing away a sure thing only to find something better. One has a young man reading fanciful stories that make him a strong man in his own life. 

Three stars
This book came out in 1971
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Holiday for Two -- Anthology

All Through the Night by Maggie Robinson

Carrie Moore is an assistant for a famous mystery writer (think Jessica Fletcher on copious amounts of gin.) But she has failed in her latest mission - to make it onto the ferry with Christmas dinner before a snowstorm settles in. And now she's stuck with the mystery writer's nephew in the blinding snow. But a snowstorm might be the perfect time for a personal assistant and an English viscount to spend a little time getting to know each other
A little slow in places and a big bunch of insta-love but I finished it. 

Two and a half stars
While it Was Snowing by Elyssa Patrick

I usually like a novella where the characters have a past. It means that there will be some basis of a relationship that might make sense. In this case, Felicity and Harry's families have been friends for years. Now, Felicity is ready to take things to the next level. But Harry is scared. And a virgin. He's not sure that changing their relationship is going to be good and he accidentally rejects her harder than he means too. Luckily (for him), a snowstorm traps him in the cabin and the two are forced to face each other and what their future could be.
This story was fine but just fine. I didn't connect to either character or have any real faith in their HEA (even though we were shown it in an unusually-long-time-later epilogue.

Two and a half stars

This book came out December 9th 2013
Kindle ebook
Opinions are my own

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Gay All Year by Richard May

Gay All Year by Richard MayI am trying to expand my reading horizons so, when I saw this book of short stories from NetGalley, I requested them. And, from a literary standpoint, most of these stories were good but some gaps in stories and things left unfinished. I am very much a reader who likes character development and relationship building (which is possible in short stories) but there wasn’t much of that in this volume. And one story also had a main character who sort of cheated on his partner who wasn’t technically his partner... But if you are one-true-pairing kind of reader, at least one story will not be your cup of tea.
Within the page constraints, these author did a fairly good job of giving an idea of how he could stretch his wings. I very much appreciated the range of characters and the celebration of holidays outside of Christmas and Valentine’s Day. I was surprised by the touches of Christianity added in the first couple of stories. If the author writes longer stories at some point, I would be tentatively interested.

Three stars
This book came out August 17th
ARC kindly provided by NineStar Press, LLC and NetGalley
Opnions are my own

Friday, September 29, 2017

A Talent for Temptation by Sabrina Jeffries

A Talent for Temptation by Sabrina JeffriesMeriel Vyse isn't sure about the way her life is going. She has been working for her husband's brother as a spy but she hates the work. And getting to know Quinn Raines has really made her long for a normal life.
Quinn Raines is also in love with Meriel which is why he fakes a kidnapping (really?) so that he can "rescue" her. Little does he know she's perfectly capable of rescuing herself. He finds out when she pulls a knife from her reticule and stabs him.
At under 50 pages, that really is pretty much the whole story. It's a nice story though short. Very, very short.

Three stars
This book comes out October 2

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Bonnie and the Beast by Alexa Black

Bonnie and the Beast by Alexa BlackAt 26 pages, this was a really, really short book that was mostly... well, it wasn't character development, that's for sure. It would have made a nice first chapter for a book but since it was set up as being an entire book... not as enjoyable.
This is a twist on Beauty and the Beast where the Beast is a woman who actually seems to have grown to enjoy her beast-hood. Bonnie (our erstwhile Beauty), meanwhile, has a few more tricks up her sleeve than just looking good.

Three stars
This book comes out July 19